Tipping Point
by haggledore
Summary: Highschool AU. A drunken night leaves Tony and Loki waking up next to eachother, totally naked and having no idea how they got there. Neither of them know the other and all they really want to do is forget. But at school they are thrown together again. This may have disastrous consequences or else lead to something better entirely. But are things ever that simple? FrostIron.
1. Chapter 1

_This is my new story and it's my first multi-chapter AU so sorry if I totally fail. It's called a Highschool AU but I'm actually going by English schools and how they work. Loki and Tony are in year 13 or the last year of sixthform when people do A-Levels before they go on to university. If it doesn't make sense then I'm sorry but please read and I hope you enjoy it. FrostIron will come later and so will the sexy stuff (and because I'm writing from an English perspective, they are legal to have sex so it's all good) This is supposed to be a fun story but with all fanfiction will be angsty and sad at points. Anyway I'll stop rambling now and let you read on..._

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><p><span>Chapter 1<span>

The first thing he knew when he awoke was that his head ached. Ached was actually an understatement. His head was pounding so badly that he thought his brain might explode. Light streamed through the small crack in his curtains. Even though it wasn't much, the brightness still hurt and he rolled over, screwing his eyes shut and grumbling in disapproval.

That was about the exact moment when he felt something shift next to him. At first he paid little attention, preferring to keep his eyes shut and try to doze off again. Then he felt more movement. His eyes snapped open as suddenly bleary memories started to worm their way into the front of his mind.

Slowly he turned his head to the side and found a pair of green eyes staring at him. For the life of him, Tony couldn't remember who this stranger was. Had he even asked his name the night before? Why the hell was this random man even in his bed? Ever so slowly, Tony lifted up the sheet that was covering him and looked under it. Great. Fully naked.

Letting out a heavy sigh, he looked back at the stranger who was now staring at the ceiling, seemingly in shock. Either that or he was just really fascinated with the whitewashed ceiling. Tony highly doubted it.

The stranger, who still hadn't yet spoken, abruptly sat up and turned his back to Tony. He reached down to the floor and started to get dressed. It took him some time to locate his shirt and shoes but after they were found, he quickly put them on. This time it took him even longer to look for whatever he was looking for. The whole while the man searched, Tony just watched him, still too stunned to process exactly what was going on.

"Er do you need a hand," Tony offered.

"I'm fine," The stranger replied, suddenly bending down and moving Tony's own shirt aside. He picked up whatever lay underneath, a phone, and proceeded to leave the room without another word. About a minute later Tony heard the familiar sound of his front door opening and closing.

He let out a strangled groan and buried his head into his pillow. This was not good. This was not good at all. He couldn't even properly remember what had happened the night before except that there had been an abundance of alcohol. He didn't even know this stranger's name or anything about him.

Groaning even louder, he got up and stumbled into the bathroom. He turned on the tap and gulped down some water before fumbling through a cupboard and pulling out some painkillers. He swallowed them and crawled back into bed, waiting for them to kick in.

Was his life over? He wasn't sure at that present moment. Was he in some deep shit that he didn't quite know the extent of yet? Most likely. Was this going to come back and bite him in the ass? Most definitely. Did he need to call Clint? Hell bloody yes.

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><p><strong>The Night Before <strong>

"Look Pep don't you think you're overreacting just a bit?"

"Overreacting!" Pepper all but shouted. "You were dying to get your hand under her skirt, and don't even try to tell me that what you were talking about was totally platonic because I could see the way she was looking at you. She was ready to jump on you."

Tony laughed. "Well that's not my fault if she can't resist my charm. I can't just turn it off Pep." He smiled at that.

Apparently it was the total wrong thing to say and do. "Do you even care about this relationship Tony? Are you even trying to make this work?"

"Okay you need to calm down," Tony tried, reaching forward to touch her arm. She took a step back so she was firmly out of reach. He quickly retracted his hand. "I made a mistake. Yeah I spoke to her and knew her intentions weren't exactly innocent. Yeah I should've walked away but I didn't. I made a mistake. But at least I didn't sleep with her, I didn't even touch her. And you wanna know the reason why? Because of you Pepper, I'm dating you and I don't want anyone else."

Pepper stared at him hard for a few seconds, not blinking. It looked to Tony like she was having an inner war with herself of whether she should forgive him or not. He could understand why she wouldn't want to. He was an idiot but unfortunately that was just his way. He made mistakes without even considering the consequences. However, he did want to be forgiven. This was Pepper. She was the only person so far in his life that had managed to keep him fairly stable and had been kind and understanding and had looked past his fame and fortune. She was too precious to lose over something so stupid.

In a way though, he knew they were drifting apart. They just weren't working as well as they used to. He consistently made more mistakes and it was only a matter of time before she would stop forgiving. There was only so much bullshit one person could take.

"Tony," Pepper sighed. "God Tony you're such an idiot," She suddenly cried, tears in her eyes but a small smile playing on her lips. "I have no idea why I put up with you."

"Neither do I but I'm glad you do," Tony laughed, pulling her close.

This time she didn't object to his touch and allowed herself to be pulled in for a kiss that would probably be frowned upon if they were to do it in public. But behind closed doors, or rather the closed door of Tony's bedroom, they were free to do whatever they wanted. They were only there because Tony had forced Pepper to come with him so as to prevent her rage explosion in public.

"So you're coming to the party tonight right? Rhodey's gunna be there to make sure it won't get too out of hand so you don't need to worry."

"Yeah I'll be there," Pepper said. "Although I don't see why you're having it, it's the start of the school year Tony. It's not like it's actual new year or the end of school."

"Well it's the beginning of our last year at school so I just wanted to start it right."

"Whatever. I've got to go but I'll see you later, I'll get here around nine."

"I look forward to it," Tony said, following Pepper to the door and watching as she walked down the stairs. "Oh and wear something hot," He called after her.

(Some hours later)

By this time the party was in full swing. The music was blasting out so loudly that anyone within a half mile radius could probably hear it word for word. No one seemed too bothered though as almost everyone was far too drunk, both on alcohol and on the atmosphere. The sun had set so it was up to the hundreds of tiny lights winding their way around everything to light the outside of the house as brightly as possible. On the inside of the house, all the lights were off but the strobe lights from the DJ in the corner of the huge living room was giving off enough light that no one seemed to worry if they couldn't see well enough to know exactly who they were dancing with.

Tony was blindly dancing with whoever decided to rub their body against his. He took a huge swig from his cup that was a mixture of far too many different types of alcohol it was hard to identify which specific ones. He had probably drunk too much already but this was his party and who was to tell him what he could and could not do? Rhodey wasn't going to shout at him. That was one of the perks of having a cool adoptive guardian.

Still, yes he had probably had too much considering that his vision was beginning to blur and he could no longer focus on something without a serious struggle that caused his head to hurt. He felt a body press against his own again and this time he pushed up with his hips, a little more forceful than was probably necessary. The girl seemed to understand what he wanted and she pushed back again, grinding her ass against his crotch along with the heavy beat of the music blasting overhead.

He lost track of time as he danced with her. He didn't even know her name or even if she went to his school. Apparently he didn't care. Not until he heard a loud shout of range and he was suddenly grabbed by the arm and dragged outside, where only the people who weren't drinking were hanging out or the people who were too busy making out and wanted somewhere more quiet than the overly loud and crowded house to do it.

"I trusted you. God Tony I am such an idiot, you just can't be trusted to not run off wi-"

"Hey Pepper," Tony interrupted. "Pepper will you calm down."

"Why should I Tony? This is the second time today. If you were in my position then maybe you would understand how it feels."

At this point Tony was painfully aware that everyone outside the house had their attention firmly fixed on him. The alcohol was still clouding his brain and he couldn't quite process exactly what was happening. He wanted to comfort Pepper. He wanted to reassure her but his brain and mouth just wouldn't work in unison.

"It's a party Pep, people get pissed and do dumb things."

"Is this you trying to make an excuse? Because it's pathetic. No Tony, don't touch me," She snapped, taking several steps back from him. A sudden saddened expression crossed her face and her voice softened as she spoke again. "Look, I'm sorry but I just can't do this anymore. I'm can't be in a relationship with someone that continually breaks my trust."

"What? Is this you breaking up with me? Come on Pepper, please. You can't."

"I can Tony and I am. See you at school."

And with that she marched off, disappearing from sight almost instantly as she entered the house.

"Fuck," he muttered, then his voice increased to a shout. "Fucking shit FUCK!" He glanced around, glaring at everyone that made eye contact with him. "What the fuck are you looking at?"

They all averted their gazes after that, gathering into tight circles and sharing in whispered conversations that were no doubt about Tony and what just transpired. Tony let out a frustrated sound and walked back inside, determined to get totally drunk so that he wouldn't even remember what just happened. As he made his way through the door, he couldn't ignore a pair of eyes that still hadn't left him. Glancing back, he saw those eyes dart to the ground. Shaking his head, Tony got himself another drink and downed it in one gulp before pouring another.

After that point the night became a total blur of more dancing and more alcohol and more music. The hours flashed by and he soon found himself collapsing into bed, not totally aware of the fact that he wasn't alone under the covers.

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><p>He opened his eyes and from the first moment he did he knew there was something wrong. Whether it was the strong smell of alcohol, his headache, or the fact that he had no idea where he was, he wasn't sure. Rolling over he was met with the sight of someone sleeping next to him. Fuck. A few seconds passed where he just stared dumbstruck at the stranger then a shiver ran through him. At first he wondered why he was cold and then it hit him. He was naked. Double fuck.<p>

Loki brushed his hair back, letting out a soft breath to calm himself. Right. So what was the best thing to do? Get up, get dressed, leave, try to forget this ever happened. Seemed simple enough. Unfortunately, just as he started to move, the man stirred next to him. Their eyes met and the other groaned. Yes, it was definitely time to leave.

Hurriedly, he got dressed and left the room, only speaking when the other asked if he needed a hand in finding his phone. He walked down the stairs that were almost directly opposite the room he had just exited and found the front door. Without looking back, he closed the door and took a deep gulp of the fresh morning air.

Okay, so he had made a mistake, he thought to himself as he began walking down the road, it could happen to anyone. He didn't even know the man. Just when he was about to take another step, he froze, looking back to the house he had just left. Well not a house, more a mansion. A mansion that could only belong to one person. And that one person was the host of the party that he had attended the night before. Tony Stark. Yeah this could never just happen to anyone. This was fates work and she really was being a right bitch at the moment, Loki thought, carrying on down the street, heading in the direction of his own home.

"Loki? Is that you?" His mother called from the kitchen as soon as he opened the front door.

"Yes."

"Where on earth have you been?" She asked, walking over to him. "Thor came home after the party last night and said you were nowhere to be found. He tried calling you, I tried calling you as well but you didn't answer."

He had to think fast. "My...er phone ran out of charge. I stayed round a friends, you remember Natasha?"

"Oh yes, now you've transferred school I'm assuming you'll be seeing a lot more of her."

"Yeah, well that's the plan. Anyway, I'm going to take a shower and..."

He didn't need to think up another reason as he was already halfway up the stairs, leaving his mother standing smiling in the hallway. As soon as he was in his room, he shut the door and threw himself down on his bed. He whipped out his phone, which was not out of charge, and dialled Natasha's number.

"What the hell happened to you? One minute you were there and the next you were gone, I couldn't find you anywhere," the annoyed voice grumbled down the line.

"Sorry, something happened. Well I think something did but I can't remember, still I have a massive problem!"

"Oh god what the hell happened Loki? You didn't love and leave some girl who is now saying she's pregnant with your kid, did you?"

"What? NO!" Loki couldn't help but laugh. "Well not quite, I woke up in someone's bed...fully naked."

"Who was she?"

"Um...he, Natasha, and he was...Tony Stark."

The line was silent for some time. Just the sound of her soft breathing could be heard.

"Yep, you're screwed."

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><p><em>Okay so I hope you liked this first chapter. I'm not sure when the second will be up because I haven't written it all yet but hopefully it will be soon. If you enjoyed this please comment, favourite and follow! Thankyou :)<em>


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"So you like seriously have no idea who this kid was?"

Tony sighed for what felt like the thousandth time that day. It was the first day back at school, it was a Monday, he had boring classes and Clint would not stop bothering him about what happened on the night of the party. He had told him almost ten times now that he couldn't remember much except that Pepper had broken up with him and he had got totally pissed and had woken up next to some stranger.

"No, I have never seen him before in my life. He definitely wasn't a kid though, he looked our age."

"And he didn't say anything? He didn't leave his number or his underwear?"

"What the hell? No!" Tony cried, staring at his friend incredulously.

They were currently seated in the lunch hall, surrounded by annoyingly loud younger students. Being the oldest in the school didn't always have its perks. It was already the first day and Tony was already counting down the days until he got to go off to university and forget this place. Now he was at the top of the school, everyone else just seemed so young and irritating. Maybe they had just become more annoying over the summer spent with their families and friends, getting drunk or high and lying about how they got to second base with a girl who they had obviously made up seconds before.

"Okay right describe him again. Maybe we can work this out by the process of elimination."

"I've already told you this," Tony said lazily. He wanted to know who the stranger had been but not this much. He was perfectly content with letting the memory slip to the back of his mind along with all the other stupid things he had done. "He had black hair, it was kinda long. Tall, pale, really green eyes. Does that help?"

"It rings a bell," Clint frowned, screwing up his face as he thought.

"I'm sure," Tony replied, thinking that he was joking.

He relaxed back on his plastic chair, trying and failing to find a comfortable position to spend the remaining twenty minutes in while he waited for last lesson. Flipping out his phone, he scrolled through it with a bored expression, finding nothing of interest. He went onto his texts and found his last conversation with Pepper. It had been sweet, they had made plans to meet up. Plans that would obviously not happen now. Mumbling something, he deleted the messages and slammed his phone down onto the table in front of him. His head followed suit, resting it against the cool surface.

"Loki."

"Bless you."

"No dumbass, Loki. You know, the new kid. He started here today and matches your description perfectly. When he spoke, did he have a sort of British accent?"

Tony raked his brains, thinking back when the stranger had said his only few words. "Um, yeah he might have done, I suppose. He didn't say much, just wanted to leave I think."

"Argh hell fucking shit."

"I'm sorry? Was that really necessary?" Tony asked, smiling awkwardly at the people closest to them who had turned to stare because of Clint's outburst.

Clint just stared at him with an expression of mixed horror and pity. Tony glared right back, having no idea what had prompted that bought of language and why Clint was starting at him like he told him something horrific.

"Yeah it was, do you know who Loki is?"

Groaning in frustration, Tony looked at him with a deadened expression.

"Of course I don't considering I've only just found out now that this guy exists. So what's so special about him anyway?"

The reply that would have come was cut off when Clint started hitting his arm before discreetly nodding to one of the entrances of the lunch hall. Tony was about to ask what the hell he was doing until he followed Clint's line of sight and froze as he watched Loki enter through one of the many doors of the lunch hall.

He looked different from how Tony remembered him. Or maybe that was just because he was wearing a lot more now or the fact that he hadn't just woken up or that he had a girl standing extremely close to him, whispering in his ear. Tony recognised her but just couldn't for the life of him put name to face. Still, Loki seemed to know her very well. After she finished speaking he let out a laugh as they carried on walking.

Suddenly the smile faded from his face and he halted in his step, staring at something that Tony couldn't see. Tugging gently on the girls arm, Loki urged her to turn around to which she complied. They had just begun heading in the direction they had come from when there was a shout of Loki's name and Thor, the tallest kid in school who happened to be in Tony's year, hurried over and pulled Loki into a hug that he clearly protested against.

"How is your first day brother?" Thor asked. Though his words were directed solely at Loki, his voice was generally so loud that his words carried over to where Clint and Tony sat.

Tony assumed that Loki replied with something short along the lines of 'it's okay' or 'it's fine' because he was soon dismissing Thor, leaving him alone in the middle of the room while the pair walked away. As soon as their interaction was over and Thor had traipsed back over to his friends, looking rather downcast, Tony rounded on Clint.

"Thor is Loki's brother?!"

"That's what I wanted to tell you."

"I am so dead," Tony groaned.

"Only if Loki tells him, which I doubt considering he seems to not want to talk to his brother," Clint said, patting his back consolingly.

The bell rang overhead and the room was suddenly filled with an increase of sound and movement as everyone got up and headed to their lesson. Tony walked as slowly as he dared, not caring too much for his class, he could do the work in his sleep he found it that easy. He spent his time instead thinking up imaginative ways in which Thor could inflict pain on him if he did find out. Tony wouldn't have been so worried if a) Thor hadn't been in his year or in his classes or b) if he hadn't been one of Tony's close friends.

This year was going to be difficult, Tony thought as he took his seat in the back of his maths class, he could just feel it.

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><p>The class turned out to be totally uneventful, probably due to Tony managing to do the work in the space of ten minutes, maybe fifteen. For the rest of the hour he stared down at his book, occasionally twiddling his pencil in his hand before dropping it on his desk and sighing. He stared out the window. Being on the first floor meant he could look out over the school grounds and see the people doing sport running up and down a track or else kicking a football around on the pitch.<p>

As he watched them, there was some sort of disagreement and the next second two players were throwing themselves at the other. Their swears and pushes soon evolved and more players got involved until the two teams were in each other's faces, trying to make the other back off. It was only now that the teacher seemed to notice that no one was playing the game anymore. He ran over, blowing hard on his whistle and screamed for the players to sort themselves out or they would all be sent to the principal's office. After that they all quietened down, having no desire to be suspended for fighting. Soon the game was back in progress and, whatever had stopped it in the first place, was forgotten.

Suddenly, the window that Tony was gazing out of was slammed shut. He blinked upwards and met the eyes of his teacher staring down at him.

"Anything interesting out there Stark?"

"No Sir," Tony replied, quickly picking up his pen, pretending that he had been listening.

"Good. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to carry on with my lesson, this time with the class's full attention. Can you do that?"

"Yes."

"I'm glad to hear it. Just to test that you have been listening at all today, answer the question on the board, giving a detailed explanation of how you got that answer."

He hadn't been listening really but he knew what to do, it was a simple enough process. He quickly ran through how he had gotten the answer of two, knowing that no other in the class had any idea of what he was talking about besides Bruce, who was sat next to him, and that girl he had seen Loki with earlier.

As the register had been taken, Tony learnt that her name was Natasha. Thinking back, that name was very familiar, she had probably been in his classes in the past and he just hadn't paid that much attention. It sounded bad but it was true. He mostly only bothered with people who bothered with him, if someone didn't speak to him then he would most definitely not try to talk to them.

Anyway, she was fairly small, having a slim trimmed figure. If it wasn't for the heeled boots she wore, she would be as tall as most of the younger students in the school. With her shoes on, though, she stood on level with practically everyone in the year but some were still naturally taller. He friend Loki was one of those people. He just so happened to be naturally tall like his brother.

The lesson ended quicker than Tony had expected which he was rather happy about. He was eager to get home and forget this horrible first day. Well it could have been much worse, he could have run into Pepper.

As the bell rang, the class surged forward through the door so Tony decided to hang back, not wanting to get trampled. Unfortunately he was fairly small, well smaller than most others, so this was more likely. The doorway soon cleared and he headed out of the room, intending to pick up some books from his locker.

A hand took hold of his arm, yanking him backwards and around the corner from the classroom, and away from the eyes of the other students crowding the hallway. He let out a yelp of surprise before the air was knocked from his lungs as he was shoved against the wall.

"Okay Stark, we don't know eachother and I personally I think that's a good thing but Loki is my friend and so I need to warn you of this. If you ever tell anyone about _it_ then I will hunt you down a rip you apart piece by piece before hiding each one where no one will ever find them."

Letting out a breath, Tony sagged backwards against the wall. It was just Natasha, Loki's apparent psycho friend, not some crazy murderer. He laughed in apparent relief then looked up at the girl that still had him pinned against the wall.

"Alright honey, you can stop with the macho talk, I get the message but unfortunately I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Quit the bullshit Stark, I know whose bed Loki woke up in the morning after the party and it definitely wasn't his own. So take my warning, tell anyone and your dead."

This was about the moment when Tony sobered, no longer willing to just smile and take whatever threats she sent his way.

"One, I'd appreciate if you didn't shout that around-"

"What? Worried for your reputation?" Natasha interrupted.

"Two," Tony continued, choosing to ignore her comment. "I have no idea what the hell you are talking about." He said it slowly and deliberately just to make sure he got his message across. "Loki didn't tell me anything, in fact we barely even talked. I don't remember what happened and I'm kinda glad to be honest."

"You can keep lying all you want but remember what I said, tell anyone and you die."

Then she was gone and Tony was left leaning against the wall, thoroughly confused. Readjusting his shirt, he walked to his locker which had been his goal in the first place, and picked up the books he needed. All the while, he thought over what Natasha had said. _Don't tell anyone about it._ What the hell was _it_? Tony really wasn't lying when he said he had no idea what she was talking about. It was true, him and Loki had barely exchanged two words. They might have exchanged more the night of the party but Tony couldn't remember anything so he was still at a loss. All he did know was that he didn't approve of being thrown against walls and threatened with his life. Especially by girls he had never spoken to in his life.

Right. It was the moment of truth. The time for confrontation. Though he had vowed to himself never to speak to Loki again, he knew that now it was necessary to break that oath. Turning the key in his locker, he refastened his bag and slung it over his shoulder before walking off down the corridor in search of Loki. He truthfully had no idea where he would be, most likely he had already left. But there was a chance that he had stayed behind, either to wait for a friend, pick up some books like Tony had done, gone to a club or just wanted to chill round school instead of going home. Personally Tony hoped that the last one wasn't Loki's reason for staying because that would be pretty lame but who was Tony to judge.

He wandered around and around, up and down corridors for some time, then, admitting defeat, he strolled to the car park in search of his car. As if by magic, just as Tony exited the school building, he caught sight of Loki staring at the ground as he walked beside an animated Thor.

Jogging over to them, Tony tapped Loki lightly on the shoulder, so as not to scare him like Natasha had to Tony. Loki turned round almost instantly and his passive expression transformed into alarm in less than a second. Thor also turned around, noticing that Loki had stopped walking.

"Friend Tony, how nice to see you for the beginning of this new school year. I hope it has begun well for you."

"Yeah it's going okay thanks, yours?" Tony asked casually.

"It is going quite well so far. I am happy that my brother has joined this term." He pointed unnecessarily at Loki, grinning widely.

"Cool," Tony said, continuing this time before Thor could interrupt. "Um, Loki can I talk to you for a minute, uhh, over there." He gestured aimlessly to somewhere to the left of them that was at a fair distance away from Thor.

"Thor keep walking, I'll catch you up," Loki turned and said to the blonde.

Thor smiled and nodded, heading off through the school gates and off down the road. Loki followed Tony off the path and away from prying ears that could be listening in.

"Is there anything particular you wanted?" Loki asked curtly, seemingly annoyed that Tony didn't start speaking straight away.

"Yeah," Tony replied. He paused for a few seconds then started speaking. "Yeah, okay, what the hell is the matter with you?"

"I'm sorry?" Loki asked, obviously shocked by Tony's suddenly hostile tone.

"So you just tell your friend about what happened and then set her on me. She half attacked me in the middle of the corridor before dragging me backwards and threatening to kill me if I didn't keep your secrets."

"What?!" Loki demanded, thoroughly confused.

"Natasha. Your friend. She started shouting at me and threatening me not to tell anyone about something that you apparently told me which I'm pretty sure you didn't. I don't even know you."

Tony looked up at Loki, expecting an immediate response but receiving none. Loki appeared almost frozen, deep in thought, his mouth drawn in a thin and his pale cheeks even paler.

"I'm sorry for what she has done to you, I hope you're not hurt."

"No I'm good. Just some warning next time, or maybe you could say something yourself if there's a problem," Tony said slowly, wondering why Loki was suddenly acting differently. He seemed more hardened and closed off. His expression was impossible to read and his body language even more so.

"I think it best that we don't converse with eachother or make contact in any way in school or outside of it. Luckily we don't share classes or friends so it should be a fairly easy thing to achieve. Good day Tony Stark."

And with that, Loki headed off across the grass and back onto the path.

"Hey wait a second," Tony called after him, running to keep up.

"What now?"

"What the hell was that? We're not five year olds that don't get along, so there's no need to act like one or treat us both like one. We're basically adults."

"Your point?"

"Why do we suddenly have a 'we can't be friends or even look at each other' law? I never said I wanted to be your best friend but it would be nice to have some sort of relationship that isn't total hostility."

"That is not a good idea, Stark, now please stop bothering me so that I can actually go home."

"Well someone got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning," Tony joked.

In a second Loki was practically pushed up against Tony's chest, his green eyes boring into Tony's brown ones. His height made this whole move quite intimidating, more so than Natasha's threats. Strands of his dark hair fell over his face which made his expression look even more sinister.

"Do not make fun of me or profess to know me," Loki said darkly, his voice dropping in volume. "You are not my friend, or even my acquaintance, we just happen to have had an unfortunate meeting. Now excuse me."

This time when Loki walked away, Tony didn't go after him. Instead he just watched him go. As he ambled his way over to his car, Tony wondered just what Loki had apparently told him that would be serious enough to illicit a reaction like that from him.

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><p><em>I'm not sure when the new chapter will be posted as I haven't had time to write much of it yet, hopefully it will be soon. Thankyou for all the follows and please review?! :)<em>


	3. Chapter 3

_Sorry this update took awhile but I struggled to write this chapter because I found it really boring and couldn't get into it. The story will pick up from here and get better and then the Frostiron will follow, so stay tuned and please leave a comment at the end to tell me what you think so far!_

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 3<span>

Not for the first time Loki was angry. In truth he was angry most of the time. And ninety-nine per cent of the time he was angry at stupid things like when the water ran cold when he took a shower or if Thor had used up the juice and had put the empty carton back in the fridge. But his anger now was actually reasoned and he stomped up the stairs to his room, not caring when his mother called to him. He just slammed his door shut, letting out a frustrated cry and falling back against his closed door.

Dropping to his knees, he searched through his bag that he had dropped next to him on the floor. Pulling out his phone, he dialled the now familiar number and waited for the rings to stop. The rings went on and on. No one picked up. Just before he was about to ring off, a voice spoke down the line.

"What's up? I literally just got home."

"Well I wouldn't settle down because you're coming over to mine now."

"What? Why?" Natasha whined. "Oh come one Loki, I just got back and I'm tired and I have loads of work to do already."

"Not my problem, now either you come over now or I will drag you."

"But why can't you just come here-"

She wasn't able to finish her sentence as Loki ended the call. From doing that, Loki knew that when she turned up she would be pissed. Good, Loki thought. That would make two of us. Still, as he waited for Natasha to arrive, he wondered whether he was even angry at her. Maybe partly, he was more frustrated with her than straight out angry. Was it Tony he was most angry with or himself? That was the question.

It took nearly half an hour for the doorbell to ring and another minute or two before his bedroom door flew open and Natasha stumped in. To say she looked pissed off was an understatement. However, Loki wasn't worried because it showed true friendship that she had come over in the first place. Anyone else would have told Loki to fuck off and would have confronted him at school or something, shouting how he's a dick and how they so weren't friends anymore. Not Natasha. Even though she might not have wanted to come, she wanted to know what was wrong with Loki and if that meant going to his house then that is what she would do.

"This," she snapped, throwing herself down on his bed. "Better be important. I don't appreciate being shouted at down the phone or at all really but because it was you made it that little bit worse."

"Truly I am sorry. Wait I didn't shout-"

"Yeah you did."

"No I-"

Natasha interrupted him again. "Look I'm not here to argue now get on with whatever it is that you wanted to tell me because I do have plans of going home tonight."

Loki rolled his eyes, taking a seat next to his friend.

"Tony came up to me while I was walking home with Thor. He told me that you attacked him in the corridor then threatened him."

"Yeah," Natasha replied nonchalantly, picking at her nails.

"Why did you do that?!" Loki asked, trying to keep his voice calm.

"You didn't want people knowing your shit and he's not a trustworthy person so I thought I'd enforce the message."

"Thanks for that but I can look after myself. It would have been okay, though, if you hadn't said that because he doesn't know anything, I never told him."

Sighing in irritation, Natasha stood up and gestured at Loki. "Well you could have told me that before."

"I didn't know. I can't remember what happened."

She flopped back down on the bed and sighed again, resting her head on his shoulder. "Okay, so I may have made things worse but you can forgive me because you love me." Loki laughed lightly, pushing her head off. He knew she was only being nice so that he wouldn't be angry with her. "But remember that this isn't all my fault I didn't get drunk and do it with a stranger."

"Oh god, please don't say that," Loki groaned. "I don't remember what happened but I hope it wasn't that. I don't think I could live with myself."

Natasha stayed for a while longer while they talked over their first day. It had been a long time since they had gone to school together so it was nice to rekindle their love for getting frustrated with every teacher and every student. Natasha was mostly happy that she had her best friend back, though she had other friends, there was still nothing like having the person you trust most back by your side. Loki was just happy to have a friend again. Going to a new school where you know no one was difficult but when you join half way through the year makes in a hundred times worse. Everyone already have their groups of friends and you just don't fit in. You go from friend to friend realising you fit in nowhere so you accept your fate and spend your time alone, pretending you don't give a shit.

He was glad he finally glad he had a chance to start again. It had been his choice to go to a different school anyway, one that he regretted very quickly. Either way there was no way to go back now. It was time to move forward. Well at least he would try to.

* * *

><p>The next day at school Tony arrived, as ever, just in time and in style. He drove into the car park in a car that the other students could only hope to afford, parking a space that was close to the front gates. It meant he didn't have to walk far when he was crawling out of school at the end of the day. School seemed to have that effect on people.<p>

He got into registration just as the bell rang and took a seat next to his friend Bruce who greeted him with a small smile and a hello.

"Tony," The teacher snapped, causing him to jump. He had literally just arrived. What on earth could he have done wrong?

"Yes?" He asked.

"I've had a message from the Principal telling you that you have a meeting at twelve o'clock with him, please for the love of god don't forget and turn up late."

"Did he elaborate or am I supposed to guess what it is about?"

"All the message said was to tell you about the meeting, it didn't say why. Just don't forget, if it's just with the Principal then I'm assuming it's quite serious."

"I'll bet," Tony muttered sarcastically, rolling his eyes and standing up from his chair.

The bell rang again and he headed off to first lesson. Throughout the day Tony became more invested in his school work and thought less and less of the meeting he was supposed to attend. Of course, he forgot. Twelve o'clock came and went as he sat idly in lesson having no idea he was supposed to be somewhere else. It was only when Bruce leant over his desk and spoke to Tony did he remember.

"Hey didn't you need to be somewhere at twelve, I heard you and the teacher talking in registration this morning."

Tony glanced at the clock on the wall. "Shit," He murmured. Picking up his bag, he walked out of class, explain to the teacher quickly where he was going as he exited.

He was at least twenty minutes late by the time he was knocking and entering the Principals office.

"Sorry I'm late Sir, I totally forgot," Tony said as he turned and shut the door.

He heard the reply of 'it's alright, take a seat' along with an irritated huff from another person. As he took a seat, he glanced to the left and his stomach did a little jump. Loki. Loki sat in the other chair, his arms crossed over his chest and his hair mostly slicked back except for a few strands. The thoughts running through Tony's head at that point were _Oh crap, is this about the party? Did he tell someone? No he couldn't have. Wait, if he was in trouble then why was Loki here?_

This query was answered a few seconds later when their Principal started to speak.

"Now that Mr Stark here has finally decided to turn up, we can begin." He shot him a look before continuing. "You both are in your last year at school and, though Stark's ego doesn't need more boosting, you are two of the brightest kids in this school. That's why I'm offering you two and a select group of others to take part in a project which will allow you even better opportunities in the future. You both will be joint group leaders and the year will be split in half. The first half will be lead by Loki Odinson where you will lead the group in a play of your choice that is not musical theatre. Though I'm sure Stark here will be disappointed with that." Tony rolled his eyes but said nothing. "For the other half of the year Tony will lead the group but we will talk over that when we come to it. Today you will have your first group meeting after school so you will know who you are working with and during that time Loki will decide on what you will be acting out with the help of an English teacher that will be there to help. Any questions?"

"Yes, one Sir. How was I chosen for this considering my ehh...previous schooling history?" Loki asked hesitantly.

"You will be kept on watch but your school record before that offers no concern."

Loki nodded, relaxing back into his chair, ignoring the curious glances he received from Tony. Tony continued to stare at him, confused by what he had just heard. What were they talking about? What had happened to Loki in his previous school that had caused him to be put on watch here? There was something about him that intrigued Tony but he couldn't put his finger onto what exactly it was. But a few seconds later, he came to the conclusion that it was not one of his top priorities to figure out the new kid. Anyway, Loki said that they shouldn't talk and, judging by the death glares he was receiving from said man, he wasn't sure whether he wanted to talk to him at all.

"And Stark?"

"Wh-Oh right," Tony stumbled over his words, trying to remember what they had been talking about. "Yeah I have a question, am I really expected to act? Is this like filmed and stuff because this could ruin me?"

Their Principal rolled his eyes. "Yes you will be expected to act and be filmed for the final performance. To be honest Stark I think you have no problem with acting or confidence in any way so I'm sure you'll be fine. Now both of you need to make your choices whether you want to take part in this project."

Both Tony and Loki nodded yes before leaving the room. They didn't say anything to the other not that they really had the chance. As soon as they left the room, Loki started off down the corridor and was out of sight a few seconds later. Tony just sighed, running his fingers through his already ruffled hair then headed off back to class, wondering if he had just agreed to a year of extra work and death glares. This was going to be fun. God he hoped the other people on the project were more fun than Loki seemed to be.

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><p>The end of the day came quicker than either Tony or Loki expected. Or would have liked. It's not that they weren't looking forward to the meeting but...well...they weren't. Both liked the idea of being given this opportunity and being put as a group leader. They just weren't happy that they had to work with the other. So much for Loki's plan of them never speaking. Still, they had to get on with it.<p>

Loki reached the door to the classroom where the meeting was being held. Turning the door handle, he took a deep breath then released it as he walked inside. He looked around and saw that a few people sat scattered around the room. A pair sat together in the front row, talking quietly but they glanced up when Loki shut the door. They began talking again straight away, obviously not bothered by his appearance. He continued to scan the other faces, most of which he didn't know. But of the two he did, only one he was happy to see. Natasha sat on the back row, her feet up on the desk and her hands behind her head, staring out the window. He walked over and took the seat beside her.

The one he was not so pleased to see was obviously Thor. This school just couldn't let them be apart, could it? This project was for a whole year and he was lumbered with the task of trying to teach his lump of a brother how to act. Wonderful. Luckily he was in deep conversation with a girl and paid no attention to Loki as he settled down at the back.

"Right, is everyone here?" A man, who Loki assumed was the teacher that would be helping them was, asked as he set his bag down on the desk.

"Don't you have a register?" One of the girls asked from the third row down.

"Um no, although one might be handy," the teacher said, looking around as though one would just magically appear.

"Are you even a teacher?"

He nodded in response, smiling. "My name's Mr Logan."

"What do you teach?"

"Art." Muffled laughter filled the room then mocking mutterings began. "But I have a degree in English Literature and worked in a drama school for a year or so which I think makes me qualified."

That shut everyone up.

Luckily the awkward silence that followed was interrupted by Tony Stark falling through the door. He stumbled before standing straight and walking forward as though nothing happened.

"Sorry I'm late, class overran."

Loki laughed but covered it with a cough. "It seems to be a regular habit of yours," He commented.

Tony sent him a sarcastic smile. He took a seat next to his friend near the front, his back now facing Loki, who pulled a face and rolled his eyes. Natasha watched them the whole time.

"Well that was mature," She whispered to Loki as the teacher began to speak.

He ignored her, choosing instead to listen.

It was soon explained that they would be meeting up twice to three times a week depending on people's schedules. They were expected to turn up to every single one and put in the work and not leave it down to two people. Everyone was made aware of Tony and Loki being group leaders, which all of them seemed okay about. No one really knew Loki yet to judge whether he would be a good leader or not. The tasks were explained to the rest of the group who hadn't been told before hand what all of this was about and were given the option to leave if they didn't want to take part. None of them left.

Not long later, however, the door opened. A girl walked in with long strawberry blonde hair tied back so as to keep it out of her face, and a bag hanging on her shoulder. Pepper looked around and her eyes widened as her gaze landed on Tony. He just groaned and slid further down in his chair. She stared at him for another moment, keeping her expression passive. Then she took a seat and asked for the teacher to start again because she had missed everything.

While he was talking, Tony leant over and whispered to Clint, "What is she doing here?"

"I'm assuming she was invited," Clint replied out of the corner of his mouth.

"Yeah, well I wish she hadn't been."

So far he had successfully avoided her, even though she had said they would see eachother sat school, but now he would be stuck with her at least twice a week for the rest of the year. Perfect. This year just kept getting better and better for Tony.

Loki continued to sit at the back, shifting from side to side, unable to get comfortable on his chair. He really wished people would stop turning up. All he wanted to do was just start planning but this was just going on too long. He wanted to go home. He had work to do and he was tired. It had been a long day which was being made even longer by the arrival of Stark's girlfriend, or rather his ex-girlfriend.

That was the moment when Loki remembered something from that night before school started, the night that he tried not to think about. He had gone outside for some fresh air and had been standing leaning against a wall, when the girl came barging outside pulling along Tony. They had fought, she had ended their relationship, Tony went back inside but just before he disappeared, they had made eye contact. That was all he could remember. Eye contact. How on earth could eye contact lead to waking up beside that person the next morning, totally naked? Loki had absolutely no idea. And he hadn't really wanted to find out. Well not until he and Tony were made group leaders of this year long project and would be spending a lot of time in the others company. Maybe it was worth finding out what happened after all.

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><p><em>I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thankyou for all the favourites and follows so far, stay tuned and please review?! :)<em>


	4. Chapter 4

_I try not to make excuses but I am so sorry this has taken a long time as will the rest of the updates. School is just so busy at the moment and I have a lot on my mind and I'm sorry I can't update more. I promise though that I will never abandon a story, you will get your chapter whether it takes me a week or a month! Anyway, happy reading!_

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><p><span>Chapter 4<span>

That new enthusiasm to understand Tony Stark had soon dissipated as the weeks wore on and Loki was expected to spend almost every evening with the man. They were constantly working together to figure out what on earth to do, what play to choose, what parts people would play. In the end, after many an argument, they settled on Romeo and Juliet because everyone knew the story and they could easily rewrite the language so it was more understandable for everyone. They had given everyone to learn some lines for an audition to decide which part they would best suit. Obviously Tony wasn't happy about that.

"He just wouldn't stop complaining Natasha, I don't know how much more I can take of this."

"Me neither," Natasha replied flatly, not looking up from the piece of paper she was scrawling on. "Your constant bitching sounds worse than his."

Loki grumbled something incoherent.

They had a free period and were supposed to be studying, or at least catching up on homework. Natasha was persevering with a rather difficult essay while putting up with Loki's continuous complaints. On the other hand, Loki was sitting next to her, clicking his pen, apparently totally unaware that he was driving his friend crazy. She loved having him back, and especially loved that they now went to the same school, she really did. But there were some moments that she just needed a break. Loki was a lot to handle and sometimes she just needed to take a few minutes to calm down before going back.

One person who she thought could deal with Loki constantly would be Tony. She thought they would actually be good together if they didn't always argue. And if Tony wasn't straight. Details, details, Natasha thought as she stared down at her paper, unable to think of anything to write. Finally, Loki had seemed to have talked himself into silence, focusing instead on the mountain of books in front of him, wondering which one to pick up first. He settled on the one on top, knowing that if he took one from lower down, the entire stack would collapse and he would be forced to pick them all back up.

"Hey Natasha."

They both looked up at the mention of the name. Pepper stood next to their table, eyeing their work before raising her eyes to Natasha.

"What's up?"

"Oh nothing, you know, I have a free period too so I'm just trying to catch up on some work."

Loki's attention wandered away from the conversation as it fell into simple small talk. Nothing of interest there. He turned over a page in his book and started to read. When Pepper suddenly mentioned Tony, his curiosity grew. Quickly he refocused on the conversation, careful not to give away the fact that he was listening in. He stared down at the book but didn't take in any of the words as he worked to hear every word. You never know what information might be useful, Loki thought.

"So anyway I was wondering if you had seen Tony or know where he is?" There was a note to her voice that gave off the sense of desperation. Natasha seemed to pick up on this as well.

"Pepper, are you okay?"

Without invitation Pepper sat down on the seat adjacent to her and leant in, lowering her voice but still leaving it loud enough for Loki to hear.

"Well...truthfully no." Natasha prompted her to keep talking. "I'm trying to find Tony because he's avoiding me. I know I was the one that broke up with him because I had just had enough of his crap but honestly I miss him. Not just as my boyfriend but as my friend. When he was in the mood to care, he did really care. He could be so kind sometimes and I feel like I might have given up too easily."

"And he's avoiding you? You're sure of that?"

Pepper gave her a half exasperated, half sad look. "You've seen him at the meetings. He won't even look in my direction let alone speak to me!"

"Fair point" Natasha agreed. "All you can really do is force him to talk to you, confront him. But if he really doesn't want to talk then you've got to let him come to you or move on. It's a harsh reality but it needs to be said."

Nodding slowly, Pepper managed a watery smile and a thankyou before standing up and walking away. Natasha watched her go, feeling rather sorry for her. She really did seem quite upset. Next to her, Loki was once again lost in thought, reliving the night of the party. Well what he could remember. Tony had done something that annoyed Pepper, it had obviously happened before, she was really angry and hurt, he pleaded, she ended it and walked away, and Tony had shouted, cursed then had gone inside aswell.

"Hey 'Tasha?"

She turned her head, giving Loki a death glare. "Don't call me that," She said warningly.

"Yeah, whatever," Loki replied. "Now help me with this, I can't find I good quote."

Rolling her eyes, she leant over and began to flick through the book, trying to find a good quote for Loki to use for part of his English assignment.

* * *

><p>It was audition day. And everyone, even Loki who didn't have to audition, wished it wasn't. Throughout the day, members of the group had continuously come up to him between classes, or sometimes during, to question him about what would happen later. He was forced to repeat the same thing over and over again until his head was hurting and his voice was failing.<p>

When last lesson finally came, he slumped down in a chair at the back and rested his head against the cool surface of his desk, thankful for some relief from his throbbing head. There was a loud crash as one student slammed the classroom door shut and Loki cringed, wishing he could just go to bed.

"You okay?"

Oh perfect, Loki thought. The one thing that would make his day even better. Tony Stark sitting next to him. This day had just been intent on being crap from the moment he had woken up that morning.

"I'm fine," Loki grunted, lifting his head up off his desk.

Tony took a long hard look at his face. "Well you don't look fine."

"I have a headache," Loki said bluntly.

The other mans mouth formed into the shape of an 'oh' before he began to rummage through his bag. He slid something across the table to Loki then withdrew his hand.

"What's this?" Loki asked, looking down at the packet in front of him.

"They're painkillers, you know, for your headache." Loki looked at him incredulously to which Tony just smiled. "Look I can be nice you know. But fine, if you don't want them." Tony made to take them back just as Loki put his own hand out to take them. Their hands met and they both withdrew quickly.

"Thankyou," Loki said, taking two of the tablets with a single gulp of water.

"Anytime," Tony replied, turning away to talk to a friend who was on the other side of him.

This was the only class together and Loki was thankful for it. He wasn't totally sure why Tony took psychology seeing as he was more science and maths orientated. There had never really been the right moment to ask considering they were mostly arguing or ignoring eachother. Either way, Loki was confused why Tony was here or being nice or not moving. He usually sat near the front but he didn't seem to be moving. As it turned out, he sat next to Loki for the entire hour, only speaking when the teacher asked a question or when someone around them asked for help.

The painkillers kicked in, easing Loki's headache. By the time he got to the classroom where the auditions were being held, he was actually sort of looking forward to it. Well maybe that was exaggerating. At least he wasn't dreading it anymore.

In total the auditions took just under two hours. They had to get through the whole group and there were eleven of them, excluding Loki. It had been much to Tony's displeasure when Loki had told him that he would be acting and not directing alongside him. However, this turned out to be an advantage because, when it was Tony's turn to audition, they all saw a hidden talent that was clearly there under the surface. Maybe he would never be able to pursue a career in the performing arts but he was good enough that it could be considered if all else failed.

The others weren't too bad. In general the acting quality was fairly good, some better than others. The point of the project wasn't meant to suit their strengths, it was supposed to test them. During one of the meetings, they had all learnt the reason why they had been asked to take part in the project. Each student had been chosen because they were the top student in a certain subject. If they were excelling and could keep up with all the extra work then they were put into the group.

For example Steve had been chosen for history, Natasha for geography, Thor for sports, Bruce and Jane for the sciences. Tony and Loki were chosen for their general excellent grades throughout all classes, not just specific to one, however if chosen their subjects were English literature for Loki and the Sciences for Tony.

"So I say we decide on everyone's parts tomorrow after we've had an evening to mull over it all," Mr Logan said, getting to his feet.

"Yes I think that would be best," Loki replied, also standing up.

They said a quick goodbye then Loki headed for the door. He walked to the next classroom along and poked his head through the door.

"You can all go home, we're done for today."

There were a lot of murmurs of relief from the group, thankful that they could finally go home.

"Wait don't we find out today?"

Of course it would be Tony to ask. Of course it would be him to start a conversation so Loki would have to wait even longer to go home.

"No, you don't."

"Why not? Don't you have any idea who is gunna be who?" He hurried over to Loki, dodging out the way of the people who were trying to exit the room.

"No, Stark, I don't. Now I really need to-"

"So will we find out next meeting then?" Tony interrupted.

"Yes. Now I'm going home."

Everyone had basically left by this point, although Thor was probably waiting for Loki outside the school gate.

"No wait," Tony spluttered desperately, reaching forward to touch Loki's arm. The other moved it away quickly so Tony couldn't touch him and sent him a highly confused look. "I need your help." Loki continued to look thoroughly confused. "Right okay, Pepper and I broke up and she really wants to talk to me about it but I don't want to and she's probably waiting outside the school right now so I need you to talk to me the whole time as we leave so she doesn't come over."

Loki stared at him for a few seconds, not quite believing if he heard right. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

He was sent an unimpressed look in reply. "Not helpful. Oh come on, I couldn't ask Clint because he would say I'm an idiot," Tony pleaded.

"I think you're an idiot," Loki said bluntly.

Rolling his eyes, Tony thought of any other reason to convince Loki to help him. The other man seemed to grow bored and began to walk down the corridor without another word. Tony hurried after him.

"Look have I done something to you because I really don't get why you hate me so much?"

This wasn't just Tony trying to stall Loki now. He was generally curious as to why the other always treated him as though he was repulsive and not worth his time.

"I do not hate you."

Tony scoffed. "Well it certainly feels like it."

"You already know that I don't wish to be close to you in any way and to have to put up with you most of the time does not help with that. You are irritating. And considering what has happened between us already, I would rather keep my distance."

"Oh you mean when we slep-"

"Keep talking and I will rip your tongue out," Loki snarled.

Suddenly, Tony found his back pressed firmly against a row of lockers with Loki's face so close to his he could feel his cool breath washing over his face.

"Someone's touchy," he joked, attempting to lighten the mood. Obviously the totally wrong thing to try and do.

Abruptly, Loki let go of him, not turning back as he continued on his way out of the building. Though he didn't want to admit it, Tony was now pissed. This guy just comes in and treats him like he's nothing and acts like he doesn't care when obviously he does. Loki was feeling something below the surface. He just wasn't willing to share it. Well Tony was going to make him.

"Come on Loki, it wasn't all that bad. You make it out as though I forced you into it but let me just correct you on that. You were very willing."

The black haired man froze mid step, slowly turning back to face the other.

"You told Natasha that you didn't remember what happened," Loki murmured, his voice dangerously low.

"Yeah, well, I lied," Tony smirked.

This actually seemed to be working. But Loki did now look like he wanted to murder him so maybe this wasn't the best plan after all.

"And why would you do that?" His voice was impossibly low now, taking on a softer, more deadly note.

"Hmm, I don't know," Tony said sarcastically, resting a finger on his chin in a mocking gesture of pretending he was deep in thought. "You did say yourself that I'm an idiot."

"I don't care for you snarky comments, Stark. Just tell me what happened!"

It was too easy, Tony thought. It was just too easy to get to Loki. He had barely even posed a challenge. Tony could see the man seething in front of him and he could read all of his other emotions so easily on his face. So now he knew Loki's weakness. Breakdown his walls or barriers, whatever he kept up between himself and his emotions, and he would be exposed.

"Nah, I'm good."

He sauntered past Loki, out the front doors and into the warm still air. He did manage to get far before Loki had him pined up against a wall once again, this time against the cold brick wall of the school.

"If this is going to become a habit of yours, please try to stop now. My back can only hit walls a certain amount of times before some serious damage is caused."

Tony knew he was pushing his luck. Loki seemed to be itching to punch him in the face, his free hand having curled into a fist, but he just couldn't resist baiting him.

"I don't care Stark," Loki snapped. "Now tell me what happened or-"

"Or what? See you're just talk and no action," he said, sounding out the last words slowly and deliberately.

Groaning in frustration, Loki tightened his grip on Tony's shirt. "Just. Tell. Me. What. Happened."

"No."

Loki through both his hands up in the air and took a small step back, cursing in words that Tony couldn't understand. Obviously they were spoken in a different language. When, he turned back to face the genius, he swallowed hard, calming himself. This time when he spoke, his voice was low yet even.

"Please tell me what happened that night."

"No," Tony said immediately.

"Why?"

"Because it was easy. It was just too damn easy."

He pushed away from the wall and past Loki, leaving the other standing there trying to figure out what his words meant.

"Stark, what do you mean?"

The man in question just turned back and smiled widely. "You're supposed to be smart. Work it out."

Loki remained where he was, fuming over everything that had just transpired. What did Tony mean by 'too easy'? Had he meant that Loki was too easy? That the night of the party it was too easy to get him in to bed? Or did he mean it as it was too easy to work out what happened? Either way Loki was left thoroughly confused. He walked out the school gates in a stupor, and remained that way the whole way home.

Thor hadn't waited for him which was surprising. Maybe he had just taken too long and the blond's insatiable hunger couldn't wait any longer. Loki was also surprised not to see Pepper anywhere around. Not that he particularly wanted to see her. Had what Tony said been true, that he was trying to avoid her? Or had what he had said been a lie? But why would he lie? Loki thought.

The whole day had been too long and more tiring than he would have liked. Unfortunately, he would have to repeat it tomorrow. School didn't care how tired you were. You were expected to attend no matter what. And Loki couldn't mess up at this school, not like his last. He had to persevere and get through.

Once he got home, he went straight to his bedroom just like any other day. He dropped his bag on the floor by his door and sat on the edge of his bed. Then he thought. He thought until his brain hurt again. He struggled to recall his memories of the night of the party. He strived to know the truth. But the memories stayed resolutely out of reach. All he had to do was prey that they really weren't that bad.

At the same time as this, Tony got home and went straight to his room as well. But instead of sitting down and thinking, he went to get a shower. The whole time, a smile never once left his face. He was happy in the knowledge that he had gotten to Loki. He was happy with the response he had received. And he was happy that he got to see Loki again the next day. He wasn't sure why. But at that moment, he didn't really care.

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><p><em>Hope you enjoyed, please review?! :)<em>


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The bell rang clear throughout the school and all the students jumped out of their seats, smiles blossoming on to all of their faces. That was the sound that meant freedom. It was the loud clang that told them that they could all go home and forget the stress of school for a few hours before heading off to bed. For others, however, it was the sound of impending doom.

Instead of standing up, Tony sank further into his chair, unwilling to get up yet. As soon as he did he would know he would have to leave the safety of his classroom and go and face Loki and the rest of the group for another meeting. After the events of the previous evening, Tony had spent a lot of time mulling them over in his head. He had come to think that what he had said and done had probably not been the best way of getting Loki to break out of his shell. Unfortunately, Tony also knew it would likely be impossible to try and apologise to him.

Tony begrudgingly got to his feet, tucked in his chair and left the room, heading for the English classroom that served as their meeting room. Luckily he wasn't the first to arrive, or maybe that wasn't so lucky because Loki was one of the few that were in the room. He looked over as he heard the door open but his eyes quickly dropped down to the papers in front of him as soon as he saw who it was.

Clint called him over and he went willingly. It took about another ten minutes before they were all there, including their leader/support staff Mr Logan. He did a small introduction, saying how they had all done very well in the auditions and he was very impressed, before he went on to explain how Loki and he had met up in lunch that day and discussed the giving of parts. Then he fumbled inside one of his pockets, producing a crumpled piece of paper with all their names and roles written on.

"Without further ado, let's reveal who will be the main stars of our show." They all rolled their eyes and suppressed groans at his choice of words. Mostly they stayed quiet, secretly eager to find out who was playing who, or rather, who they themselves would be playing. "So ladies first, and the part of Juliet goes to...Natasha Romanoff."

Everyone turned to stare at her, where she sat next to Loki towards the back. She had turned her head and was staring dumbfounded at her friend.

"Are you serious?" she hissed.

He smiled and nodded, "You were the best out of them all." She tried to protest so he interrupted. "We'll talk about it in a minute, everyone else still need to find out which role they will play."

"Thankyou," Mr Logan said, having been waiting patiently for them to finish their short conversation. "And Natasha, who will be playing your Romeo? I can now tell you that it's...Clint Barton."

Tony let out a whoop of laughter, clapping his friend hard on the back, grinning as Clint sent him a horror-struck look. There was an unmistakable groan from somewhere behind them before a heaving thump followed as Natasha's head fell against her desk.

"I cannot be Romeo," Clint insisted, turning to address Loki.

"And why not?" Loki asked, ignoring Natasha's continued moans of annoyance.

"Well...because...because," He hesitated, then nodded his head at Natasha. "Because of that exact reaction."

"I'm sure you'll both get over it," Loki smirked, patting his friend lightly on the shoulder in mock comfort.

She raised her head and glared daggers at him.

"Alright, alright, settle down so I can read out the rest of the names."

They all lapsed into silence, once again eager to know who they would play. To be honest most of them were relieved that they would not be playing the lead. It meant a hell of a lot less work and they could make fun of who were playing the roles.

Tony was next given the role of Mercutio, Thor as Tybalt, Steve as Benvolio, Bruce as Friar Laurence, Pepper as Juliet's Nurse etc. Most were given more than one part to fill in the smaller roles but everyone seemed generally happy with the results. Well at least there were no arguments. Except for when Steve rounded on Loki.

"How come you don't have a part?"

"I am directing."

"Still, this is about acting. Shouldn't you have a small part or something? Some of us might not want to act but they don't have a choice unless they quit."

"You do have a choice bu-"

"Come on guys, don't argue now. You'll kill everyone's buzz and they've finally all started to get into this whole thing."

Loki sent Tony a glare but did step away, moving back over to Natasha. On his short journey Thor somehow managed to intercept him and he was soon drawn into a mundane conversation with the man. Meanwhile, Steve was berating Tony over his interruption. He held nothing against Loki, he just didn't understand how a new kid could just come in and an important school project without even explaining himself. Tony knew that Steve was just kidding himself. The man was a natural born leader and it didn't sit well with him that he had to sit on the side while another took charge. Over the weeks that followed, his temper over the matter calmed and he soon became as invested in the group as he would have been if he was leading.

Pleased that he had managed to avoid an argument, Tony sat on the desk that Clint was occupying, starting up a conversation with Bruce who sat beside him. It was around that moment that just about everything in the world seemed to hate Tony. Well this is how he felt anyway which meant it was probably an exaggeration. Still, it was the moment that Pepper plucked up her courage and went over to talk to him.

For some minutes he pretended to be in deep conversation but this facade could only last so long when he was discussing what they were all having for dinner. Admitting defeat, he slowly turned to face her head on, keeping his expression passive.

"We need to talk," She said immediately, not even bothering with a greeting.

Those four words seemed to cause a hush throughout the room. Though whispered conversations continued, they were no longer in depth discussion or loud shouts. Everyone was listening, or half listening. Even Mr Logan, who had been flicking through a copy of Romeo and Juliet, had stopped on one page and stared at it, not reading, just looking.

"Yeah, maybe we should go outside," Tony said awkwardly, trying not to meet the eyes of anyone else in the room.

"No, I'm good here and if we went outside you would probably make an excuse or run off again." She was angry. Great, he thought. Pissed of Pepper was almost worse than upset crying Pepper.

"Right...well..." His voice drifted away, unsure of what to say next.

It appeared, however, that Pepper did know what to say as the next second she launched into a rant that was so well perfected, he had a hard time believing that it hadn't been rehearsed.

"You have no right to do what you have done, you have no right to just ignore me and avoid me. We have...had been together for almost two years and you can't just blank me. I walked away, I ended it but that doesn't mean I asked for this. You treated me like I don't even matter when not so long ago I did matter to you, or was that just a lie? I didn't ask for this, I didn't ask for you to get it on with every girl you see, so why are you the one acting all hurt when you were the one that ruined it?" She paused for breath, angry tears causing her eyes to take on a glassy look.

Tony seized that moment of silence to speak. "But you said it yourself Pep, you ended it. I never asked you to."

"I was tired, I'm just so tired of having to keep you on a leash. You're an adult Tony so try acting like one."

"Sorry to interrupt this obviously deeply moving conversation but could you please take your lovers tiff elsewhere as we have work to do," Loki said, his words dripping with sarcasm. Tony whipped around to look at him and was surprised at his audacity to smile sweetly back at Tony.

"Shove off Loki, no one asked you to get involved."

"On the contrary, you are the one arguing in the middle of the meeting of which I happen to be the leader of."

At that moment Tony really wanted to hit Loki, to wipe that mocking smirk off his face. But he did admire his courage to backchat Tony when he was not in the mood for bullshit.

"Hmm, and who is joint leader? Or are you just trying to dominate everything...which is funny because rumour has it your the more submissive kind."

Loki's eyes widened. His mouth opened but no words came out. He just stared dumbstruck at what he had just heard. For everyone else in the room, they had no idea what Tony was insinuating, but, after their previous talk, Loki knew exactly what Tony was hinting at.

"Okay, okay, settle down. You two step outside for a minute and calm down, or have a fist fight, I'm not too bothered, just don't get blood all over the floor. Just sort out this tension and come back in when your heads are cleared and you're ready to work," Their teacher instructed, finally thinking it was a good time to cut in and stop this argument before the tension between them snapped.

Both Loki and Tony didn't look at eachother or anyone else as they exited the room. Loki stalked through first, slamming the door behind him, leaving Tony to reopen the door and shut it soundlessly behind him.

Those left in the room shared looks of confusion but made no comment. Pepper seemed as though she wanted to follow Tony out but thought better of it. She was just frustrated that the first conversation she had managed to have with him had been interrupted by Loki. Natasha still sat in her chair towards the back, absently worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. She was the only one in the room besides Clint who had any idea of what was going on between the two who had just left. Unfortunately, Thor assumed this and came up to her, asking quietly if she knew what their talk had been about. She shook her head, shrugging, knowing that if she told Thor anything then Loki would take far too much pleasure in ripping both hers and Thor's heads off.

Trying to take everyone's minds off what had just transpired; she got up and headed to the front desk, picking up the large stack of papers that rested on there.

"Okay, so these are the scripts, it would be a good idea for you all to take one and start reading through your lines."

They all blinked, as though being brought back to reality, before snapping into motion and each collecting one of the booklets. Everyone started to riffle through the pages, looking for where their character first makes an appearance.

* * *

><p>As soon as he was outside the room and almost halfway down the corridor, Loki stopped and let his back thump back against the whitewashed wall, letting out a heavy sigh. Why did his life have to be so complicated? He thought. Why couldn't he lead a normal life that didn't involve being kicked out of school and sleeping with a total stranger from his new one?<p>

To his dismay, Tony wandered over and settled himself against the wall opposite. After a few beats of silence, he started to tap his foot rhythmically against the floor while he stared at the ceiling above Loki's head. When Loki made no outward signs of frustration, he began to whistle while he tapped , looking all around Loki but never directly at his face. He was deliberately trying to wind him up. Pretending that the black haired man wasn't there seemed like a good idea and it was definitely working.

"Are you just intent on ruining my life or do you just enjoy making me look like a fool?"

"I dunno, both I suppose. It depends what mood I'm in."

Loki ground his teeth together angrily, watching as Tony continued to whistle the far too upbeat melody.

"Is there any reason why because by my reckoning, I haven't actually done anything to you?"

"I'd disagree..." Tony said, letting his head drop backwards to rest against the wall. Loki waited for him to keep talking but the man never elaborated.

"What did you mean the other day when you said it was too easy?" Loki asked, staring directly at the man opposite him. Said man continued to avoid his eye, much to Loki's annoyance.

Ah, Tony thought, finally he's asking the good questions. Now the conversation could start getting interesting. He replied with something simple that he knew would irritate Loki a little but more.

"Why don't you tell me what you think I meant?"

"I don't know," Loki said through gritted teeth. "Stop being so cryptic and give me some answers Stark. I don't want to play your games."

It was in that moment, Tony decided it was time to stop avoiding the others gaze and actually meet his stare head on. He also chose that moment to cross the corridor, crowding Loki until his back was pressed firmly against the wall.

"It's weird because I thought you'd love games," he said quietly, not breaking eye contact for a second. "You seem to play them with everyone. I've seen you around your brother, so much sarcasm and resentment when you're near him and it makes me curious as to why. Or how about the way you go from being cool to suddenly hating on me. I don't get it, I don't understand you Loki."

"Maybe I don't want you to," Loki replied, fidgeting uncomfortably at Tony's close proximity.

"And that just makes me want to know more," Tony muttered, somehow getting even closer.

"What do you want from me Stark?"

"I'm not sure. Why? Is there something you want from me?"

"The truth," Loki said immediately.

Though this probably wasn't the best time to realise it, but Tony found that he didn't mind being close to the man in front of him. His plan had been to lean in, make Loki squirm a little before stepping away. However, having seen the reaction he received when he got close, he really didn't want to pull away.

"Fine, if that's what you want. I'll tell you the truth." His voice dropped in volume again so now he was almost whispering. "I will tell you everything about that night, everything that happened. Every. Tiny. Little. Detail." He sounded every word out carefully, watching as each one had an effect on Loki. They were now impossibly close. So close in fact that as they took each breath, their chests brushed against each other.

Even their faces were close now, too close. And Loki knew this, he knew he should pull back, push the man away but he couldn't. These thoughts came before Tony reached down and took Loki's wrists loosely in his hands and pressed them by Loki's sides.

"It makes a change doesn't it, to have you pushed up against the wall instead of me. I'm tired of keep on being thrown against walls."

Loki was at a loss. He didn't know what to say or what to do. He didn't even know what to think. He wasn't sure he knew how anymore.

"Sorry," Loki managed breathily.

"Hmm, I'll have to think about forgiving you."

"Tell me what happened...please."

"Fine okay, I will tell you. So are you ready? You sure?" Loki just nodded. Suddenly Tony was so impossibly close that his lips brushed over Loki's. For a fleeting moment he thought the man in front of him was going to kiss him but he stopped short, instead letting his breath mingle with Loki's. "Nothing."

"What?" Loki asked, his eyes flicking up from Tony's lips to meet his eye.

"Nothing happened. We were drunk, we went to my room, we made out and during that time we stripped and then after that we just fell asleep. So yeah, nothing happened." Then Tony was gone, back up the corridor to the door of the classroom. "Happy now?" Not waiting for an answer he turned around and walked straight into the room.

Loki sagged against the wall, trying to calm his erratic breathing. So nothing had happened, well nothing serious anyway. That should have been good news and yet Loki couldn't decide whether he was relieved or disappointed. He remembered how he had felt with Tony that close to him only a moment ago. He had to admit he had been slightly uncomfortable but not to the extent where he wished to move away. It was definitely not good that he realised he hadn't pulled away when he thought Tony was going to kiss him.

Shaking his head, he used the heels of his hands to rub his eyes before he took a deep breath and followed Tony back into the classroom.

* * *

><p>As Tony walked away from Loki, he had to fight the urge to turn around, to see the other man looking flushed and so innocent. It's not like Tony hadn't noticed the way he had started to lean into his touches, or the way his breath quickened and his eyes seemed to get a few shades darker as he drew close. This was not good. His plan had been to make Loki uncomfortable, to make him drop his facade, not cause him to respond to Tony's actions in this way.<p>

This would have been Tony's biggest problem, but as he opened the door to the classroom he realised a problem that was by far worse. He hadn't minded being close to Loki. He hadn't minded seeing the other respond in such a way. He had wanted to connect their lips when they were so desperately close. He had even considered it. Okay, this really wasn't good.

Stealing himself, he fixed a wide smile onto his face and once again joined the meeting, acting as though nothing had just happened. Loki appeared about a minute later, with the same passive expression on his face as usual. They didn't argue for the rest of the evening but when their eyes met it was with a different expression than the usual frustration. Both of them were screwed and they knew it.

* * *

><p><em>Hope you enjoyed, please favourite, follow and review?! :)<em>


	6. Chapter 6

_I'm an idiot, I didn't proof read so any mistakes are my own and I'm sorry. Other than that, please enjoy!_

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 6<span>

"No Loki I'm serious, I am not playing Juliet."

Well she was definitely making her point clear, Loki thought as he listened to his friend complain for what felt the like the tenth time that day. It had been two days since the last meeting and ever since Natasha had been constantly reminding him just how much she didn't agree with her casting. He had given up trying to convince her, knowing all of his comforting words and complements would be shot down just like the others. It seemed as though he would just have to sit through all the complaining.

"You are 'Tasha," Loki replied, deliberately shortening her name because he knew how much it irritated her.

As expected, she glared daggers at him before speaking again. "Not if I refuse." He was about to interrupt but she cut him off before he could even open his mouth. "I might even consider quitting the program which is something I don't actually want to do. I want to be a part of it but..."

"You're thinking of quitting?" Loki asked, startled by her admission. "Seriously now, tell me exactly what's going on."

Natasha glanced over her shoulder, making sure no one was eavesdropping. They were in the library which was practically silent besides their hushed conversation in the corner. But with them being the only ones speaking meant it was quite easy to be overheard. Luckily, there was no one else around besides Bruce who sat a few tables away from them with his head buried in some book about different types of radiation. Apparently, from what Loki had overheard, he had a particular interest in the subject.

"Okay I'll tell you," She said, after thoroughly scanning the room first. Her voice dropped even lower in volume as she spoke again. Whether it was to stop people hearing her or whether it was because she was embarrassed Loki didn't know, but he leant in closer anyway eager to hear what she had to say. "But don't even think about laughing," She warned. "Basically, I'm not scared of the acting part or anything, getting up on stage is fine...it's just, god Loki why did you have to pick Barton, of all people, as Romeo?"

"Casting Clint as Romeo? That's your big problem?" Loki asked, stunned and trying to keep a smile from gracing his lips.

She could see he was fighting back a grin so she sent him an unimpressed look. "Yes. He's irritating, he's bigheaded, he's loud, he's got no tact and he's just a downright idiot."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you like him," Loki teased.

"Well obviously you don't know any better because I definitely do not like him. If by mentioning him once means that I like him then it must mean you're totally in love with Stark considering how much you talk about him."

Loki was left gaping at her, unable to think up a witty response to silence her. He was definitely not in love with Tony, he barely even liked him. Only recently had the man even been thought of as tolerable in Loki's book. That was hardly a confession of love. Instead of responding, he just snorted, pretending he found it funny before staring hard at the front cover of his book, unwilling to open it and actually do the work.

They sat in comfortable silence for some time until Natasha breached the topic once again, continuing to insist that she can't play Juliet. In the end, much to Loki's own annoyance, he agreed that she could drop the role but still be involved in the program. The finer details would have to be run over with Tony and Mr Logan but everything should work out okay. Well at least he hoped they would.

The rest of the day was really quite uneventful. The hours passed as they always did, some slower and some faster depending on his level of interest in the lesson. He had psychology again last period and when he entered the room he took his usual seat at the back. Tony arrived not a minute later, chuckling at something Clint had just said to him. They both wandered towards the back but sat in the row just in front of Loki.

As the lesson began, Loki wasn't sure whether the sinking feeling inside his stomach was from that he was disappointed that Tony didn't sit next to him again or for the fact that the teacher was collecting in assignments and he had left his on the table he had been working at in the library. He chose the latter, just because it made more sense and he didn't want to dwell on what it would mean if the feeling had been caused by the first option.

When the teacher asked for his essay, he explained how he had left it in the library. His teacher let out an exasperated sigh but allowed him to leave class to go and look for it. Luckily it was still in the same place he had left it, so he quickly hurried back to class, handing over the paper as he entered before once again taking his seat. Though he put it down to coincidence or the fact that nothing else interesting was happening in the room at the time, but Loki couldn't deny how he saw Tony's eyes follow him both when he left the room and when he re-entered it.

Soon, however, these worrying thoughts were forgotten as the lesson fully began and his mind was distracted by the interesting albeit complicated work set by his teacher. The bell rang for the end of the day and everyone looked up, surprised that an hour had already passed. Still, they soon scrambled from their chairs, shoved their books away and exited to the class before the teacher had time to say they could go.

Loki stood up slower and made his way to the meeting, not seeing the need to hurry. Loud footsteps sounded behind him and then-

"Hello brother, how has your day been so far?" Thor asked jovially.

"It's been fine," Loki replied, now wishing he had walked faster. "And yours?"

"It has been very good so far, thankyou. I finally asked the lady Jane out for dinner this weekend and she accepted my request." He beamed widely at Loki while the other only managing a half smile in return. He really didn't care about Thor's love life all that much.

They arrived at the meeting room at took seats just like normal. Everyone had arrived in the next five minutes which made it easier to get the meeting started. Loki began by explaining that Natasha would no longer be playing Juliet. This announcement received a mixed response but then quiet was restored and everyone just dealt with the news, whether they felt it was fair or unfair, in their own quiet way. The question on everyone's minds now was who would be replacing her.

"That would be Darcy," Loki answered, smiling at her as a wide grin grew on her face.

"Really?" She asked.

"Yes," Loki clarified.

She sat there with the mixed expression of shock and joy.

"Wow thankyou," She said, before turning to Jane with raised eyebrows. Her friend smiled back and they soon fell into deep conversation about the new part she was going to play.

From behind them Natasha mouthed the word thankyou at Loki who nodded back. He allowed his gaze to wander around the room until it settled on Clint who had a rather disgruntled expression on his face. Maybe he was disappointed about the change. Maybe he really wanted Natasha to be his Juliet. At that thought Loki let out a quiet laugh.

"What's so funny?" a voice said from behind him causing him to jump. Turning around he came face to face with Tony.

"Nothing," Loki replied rather coolly.

"Right whatever," Tony shrugged. "So when were you going to tell me you made this decision or is this just a thing that you do when working in a team? You forget about the other group leader and do your own thing?"

"That's not true at all. I merely made the choice after speaking to Natasha and thought it would be better to bring up now rather than go and find you to tell you."

"Okay, fine but remember in future that there is no I in team."

And with that he was gone. Well as gone as you can be when you still have to remain in the same room as eachother. He just walked away, over to Thor and Steve who were discussing sports. Loki remained where he was standing, unsure of what to do. Best just get on with the meeting, he thought, so that is what he did.

An hour and a half later they were free to leave. After extensive run-throughs with the scripts they had all been given the task over the weekend to learn all their lines for Act 1, if they were in Act 1 obviously.

"You two, stay behind for just a second. I need to talk to you."

Mr Logan sounded quite ominous with those words but they stayed behind all the same. It only took another minute for the room to empty; Thor was left outside the door, waiting for his brother to leave.

"So this weekend, tomorrow or Sunday, I don't care which, you two need to meet up and write progress reports for each week so far. I know I haven't told you this before that's why I'm saying to sum up each week rather than write a separate one for each session. It just helps keep track and is needed as proof that you are all actually progressing. Is that okay?"

"Yes," They both said in unison before Tony then said, "What exactly should we say?"

"Just write what we have been doing each time, where we aim to be next session, that sort of thing."

"Okay...bye Sir."

Mr Logan waved an absent goodbye as they left. Loki started off down the corridor, Thor next to him, already attempting to engage him in conversation. For a few seconds Tony watched the blond fail, wondering what exactly he must have done for Loki to shun him so much. Then he realised that they hadn't sorted out details for their meeting.

"Hey wait up," He called, smiling slightly as Thor stopped and turned while Loki carried on as though no one had spoken. This guy really could be a jerk, Tony thought. "Yeah, sorry big guy, not you. I need Loki if he would just stop walking, it will only take a sec." He deliberately spoke loudly so Loki would hear him. The black haired man turned slowly, an unimpressed expression fixed firmly on his face.

"What?" He asked waspishly.

"Mine or yours?"

"What?" He repeated.

"You say that a lot, you know," Tony pointed out. Loki gave him an unimpressed look. God what would it take for this guy to smile. "What I meant was, my house or your house? Where are we gunna do these reports?"

"Which ever you prefer, I don't mind."

"Okay cool, you can come to mine."

Before Loki could protest, Tony grabbed his hand from by his side and withdrew a pen from his pocket. Across the back of his hand, he scrawled his phone number. Then he clicked the pen and smirked at Loki.

"Call me," He whispered, in a mock seductive tone before winking and walking away.

Loki was left stunned in the corridor with Thor staring at him with a 'what the hell just happened' expression. Tony just walked through the school front doors, wondering if Loki's lips twitching had been him fighting to hold back a smile.

* * *

><p>Probably much to Tony's disappointment, Loki didn't call him. Instead he texted late at night, having forgotten to text him sooner, asking what time he should come to his the next day. The reply he received made him roll his eyes, though he was amused none the less.<p>

'_Whenever you want babe.'_

'_Is 11 okay?'_ Loki typed the reply, choosing to ignore Tony's little addition to the end of his message.

'_I'm counting down the minutes already.'_

Loki just shook his head before putting his phone down next to his bed and sliding under the sheets. As soon as his eyes were fully closed he began to drift off to sleep and only awoke when his alarm started blaring the next morning.

Groaning with tiredness, he rolled out of bed and headed for the bathroom where he showered, taking his time to scrub himself clean and wash the shampoo out of his hair. Once out from under the warm stream of water, he wrapped a towel around his waist and began to tackle the difficult job that was his hair. It wasn't that he didn't like having long hair. Obviously if he didn't like it then he would cut it. It was more that it took forever to dry and he hated overheating under the uncomfortable warmth of his hairdryer. However, if he didn't use heat, then he was subjected to sitting through a day with his hair all frizzy and, in his own opinion, it really wasn't a very attractive look. And today of all days he didn't want to look stupid. Not that he wanted to impress Tony, he just didn't want the man finding any more reasons to tease him.

When his hair was parted and straight, he left the bathroom, hobbling back to his bedroom before his towel decided to slip from his waist. Searching for clothes was an easy job, pulling out a pair of dark jeans and a shirt from his wardrobe. He then found his school bag and emptied most of its contents before refilling it with the essentials he would need like a pen, paper, a copy of Romeo and Juliet as he was unsure if Tony would have one.

Satisfied that he was almost ready to leave, he headed down the stairs and into the kitchen where his mother was preparing breakfast, humming quietly to herself.

"Morning," She greeted, smiling as Loki grunted in reply, obviously still not happy with being awake this early on a Saturday. It was half nine in the morning which wasn't technically that early but Loki really wasn't a morning person which made the whole situation much worse. "Anything in particular you fancy?"

"Just toast, thankyou," Loki replied, dropping into a seat at the kitchen table, not having the energy to walk all the way through to their actual dining room.

"Thor'll be here in a minute, at least he should be," Frigga said absently, glancing at the clock as she placed a plate full of toast in front of her younger son.

"Why is he getting up so early?"

"Wants to prepare for his date, he told me," She laughed. "He's probably practising what he will say to her in the mirror right now."

"How touching," Loki replied, not even trying to hide the sarcasm in his voice.

His mother just grumbled at his tone but made no comment. They spent the rest of breakfast in companionable silence until Loki got to his feet and went to brush his teeth. Once finished, he checked the contents of his bag for the second time before saying goodbye to Frigga and heading out the door. The air was warm outside for being late September but it was still refreshing and Loki enjoyed the rather long walk to Tony's house.

He reached his house, or rather mansion, sooner than he had anticipated. Not wanted to seem too eager, he hovered casually outside the gate, staring at his phone screen, pretending to be in a deep conversation with someone. Unfortunately, he had no one to message and so just continuously clicked on and off his messages before he realised he was being stupid. Turning towards Tony's house, he walked up the long front drive to the door.

Seeing there was no doorbell, he rapped lighting on the glass and saw clearly as a man came to answer the door.

"Hello?" He asked.

He had dark skin and wore a smart suit and, on seeing Loki, he fixed a smile onto his face. To Loki he gave a good first impression. The man seemed like a nice person. Well at least he had a sense of style.

"You must be Tony's friend," He said, realisation replacing the confused expression on his face. "He did tell me your name but I can't for the life of me think what it is."

"Loki," Loki said.

"Cool, well I'm James Rhodes or Rhodey and I'm Tony's legal guardian. Oh sorry, please come in," Rhodey said suddenly, gesturing for Loki to come in as he stepped out of the way.

Loki walked inside, his eyes skimming around the large hallway. From where he stood he could see the kitchen on one side and one of the living rooms on the other. He could remember from the party that there wasn't just one, though he couldn't remember everything, he could remember that Tony's house was massive.

"Shit, I mean shoot," Rhodey suddenly muttered. "Sorry, I have to go otherwise I'll be late for work. Tony's down in the garage, just walk straight and take the second door left and you'll find your way." He spoke quickly then paused, trying to think if there was anything else to say. "Oh yeah, just be careful with him today. If he gets a bit funny...well...just watch yourself."

Then he was gone out the door and Loki was left thoroughly confused in the doorway. What had Rhodey meant? Get a bit funny? He assumed that didn't mean actual haha jokes kind of funny. Loki thought he meant funny as in odd. Why would Tony be odd? He was always happy, or smiling, but even when he wasn't smiling, he wasn't sad. Come to think of it, for the weeks Loki had known him, he had never seen Tony have an expression that was anything below neutral or passive. Even when he was deliberately annoying him or they were arguing, Tony never actually seemed really pissed off. He always took everything as a joke.

Still puzzling over Rhodey's words, Loki followed his instructions, stepping further into the house and following the directions that he had said. As he walked, he took his time to take in all the other surrounding rooms that he could see through the open doors. Everything was clean and tidy, nothing was out of place, yet it didn't fell over-clean, like when you touched something and needed to scrub it clean of any germs afterwards. There just wasn't that feeling. He didn't feel tense or uncomfortable, he felt more at ease. The house gave off a sense of calm.

Snorting to himself at how stupid that sounded in his head, Loki pushed open the door that apparently led to the garage where Tony would be. As he neared another door he began to hear the faint sound of music, but as get got closer the volume increased quickly until he could barely think over the noise.

Hurrying through the door, he was surprised to find himself in a very large room which was indeed a garage yet was filled with other stuff that didn't even relate to cars at all. His brain couldn't really take it in though because of the still blaring music. Turning to his side, Loki saw two large speakers with a phone plugged in to them. Without another thought, Loki pulled out the cable connecting them and breathed a sigh of relief as the music finally stopped playing.

Now able to think, he shifted so his back was to the speakers so he could finally take in the contents of the room surrounding him and the only other occupant. Tony.

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><p><em>I know, this chapter wasn't the most interesting but this needed to happen in order to set up the next one. Stay tuned and please review?! :)<em>


	7. Chapter 7

_Here's an update that I actually enjoyed writing, sorry that it took so long though. Exams does that to people but in just over a month it will all be over and I'll be free to write whenever. For now though, please enjoy!_

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><p><span>Chapter 7<span>

As the music was abruptly switched off, Tony raised his head but didn't turn around. Instead he chose to shout over his shoulder to who he assumed had turned it off.

"Rhodey, I swear to god, if you mess with my music one more time I will cut off one arm from every shirt and jacket you own so that when you go into work everyone will laugh and you will be known as One Arm Rhodes."

A light chuckle was the first thing he heard before someone spoke and it definitely wasn't his guardian, judging by the smooth almost English accent. It could only be one person.

"Sorry to disappoint but it was not Mr Rhodes who turned that racket off although your threats would be highly amusing if you went ahead with them."

"I might just do that, if it means you'll laugh again. And hey, my taste in music is amazing."

"Hmm quite," Loki replied, sarcasm evident in his tone, totally disregarding the first part of what Tony had said.

As the apparent genius, judging by all of the different projects littered around, got to his feet, Loki stepped further into the room, taking in everything. He strolled to the table closest to him which was overwhelmed with all manner of things, most of them he had no idea what they were for and yet they were fascinating. He picked a few up carefully, marvelling at the detail.

Spinning on his heels, he gazed at the next surface, this one also totally full with different creations of Tony's. As he moved throughout the room, he took his time in taking in everything. He'd never seen anything like it. It was as though the room was split in two, on one half were the cars that the garage was made for and on the other was just chaos. But it was ordered chaos. Everything seemed to fit together. Everything had its own place and as Loki set another object down he worried that perhaps he was messing the order up, that he was ruining the room's effect.

"Anything interesting?" Tony smiled, watching Loki move carefully around the room.

"Did you make all of these?" Loki asked in awe, still unable to tear his eyes away.

"Mm yeah, most of them are just weekend projects or stuff I do in evenings when I'm bored. A lot of this stuff I made years ago, I don't even know why I still have it," He answered, walking over next to Loki to see what exactly he was staring at.

He unceremoniously picked up what Loki had been staring at before dropping it back on the table., laughing when he heard the other's sharp intake of breath.

"Don't, you could break it."

"And? It's shit anyway."

Loki turned to him with a mixed expression of shock and anger. "Are you being serious? This is amazing, I could never make anything like this."

"That's because you don't have the smarts," Tony said, tapping Loki on the head. "Now are you coming, we have work to do?"

They left then, Loki with a huff as he followed Tony out the room and back the way he had come. Taking another door they came to a large open room with a staircase at the side. They climbed it quickly and soon reached a wide landing. There was another flight of stairs leading to the second floor to his left but Tony walked straight past them, heading for a room with a firmly closed door. He opened it without ceremony, dropping down onto the bed almost immediately upon entry. Loki remained standing, once again looking around the room.

The last time he had been there he hadn't really taken in his surroundings. He had been far more preoccupied with finding his clothes then the front door. It was a nice feeling to look upon this room without reliving some of the memories from that night. He had been very successful in forgetting everything that had happened which he supposed was good. Although sometimes he still wished that he could remember. Stark had told him now that nothing did occur, that they only kissed, stripped then fell asleep but he did want to know what it had been like from his own perspective. Had he enjoyed it?

Shaking his head to rid himself of that dangerous train of thought, he took a few steps further into Tony's room before sitting beside him on the edge of his bed. His room was surprisingly tidy, well tidy compared to the total mess in the garage. There was a large desk by the window which was so covered by paper that Loki couldn't even see the dark wooden surface below. Stacks of school books were in one corner and a select few rested on his bedside table, obviously considered more important than the others. In all the room was quite unimpressive until Tony moved to shut the door which drew Loki's attention to that side of the room. When entering, he hadn't taken in that the wall behind him was papered with small drawings and sketches, all labelled with lines and neatly scrawled words.

"You did all of these as well?" Loki asked, once again distracted by Tony's apparent brilliance.

"No I stole them," Tony replied, sending him a sarcastic smile. "Yeah I did, they are all projects I wanna make. When I finish something, I pull another plan off the wall and just get to work."

"That's so...it's all just incredible," Loki said sincerely.

"Okay you definitely need to stop with this complementing thing, it's starting to freak me out that you're being so nice."

The black haired man rolled his eyes. "I'm always nice."

Tony sent him an incredulous look but made no further comment. After staring at the wall for a little longer, Loki was reminded again why he was there and finally dragged his gaze away, instead focussing on the task before them. They chose to do the first few progress reports together as it involved thinking back to the first few weeks of the project and neither of them could remember exactly what had happened in each meeting.

They decided to split the next task, Loki said that he would write out the groups aims for the next few weeks while Tony worked on some of his own school work. For a while it was silent. Both of them invested in what they were doing to care about the other. Unfortunately Tony wasn't one who preferred silence and soon grew bored of the lack of conversation. Standing from his chair, he moved to the bed and scooted over until he was directly in front of Loki, only a few books and papers separating them. The black haired man, however, paid him no attention, far too absorbed in what he was writing.

"So..." Tony began, hoping that Loki would register his attempt at conversation and respond. He didn't. Instead, he pretended he hadn't heard Tony, leaning closer to reread what he had just written.

"Tell me about yourself."

Sighing, Loki raised his head and looked at the man opposite him. "What?"

"Tell me about yourself. What's your family like? Why'd you move school? What's it like living with Legally Blond?"

Unfortunately Loki couldn't help a small smile reaching his lips at the reference to Thor which sort of ruined his attempt at a serious tone.

"It's not the time for small talk. We have work to do and, I don't know about you, but I want this done by the end of the day."

"Oh come on, we've been working for hours," Tony whined, ignoring the sceptical expression on Loki's face. "Fine you've been working for hours and deserve a break. Now talk to me!"

"You're acting like a child."

"And you're changing the subject. Why won't you talk about your family?"

"Just do the work Stark!" Loki snapped, starting to get very frustrated.

"See and now we're back to Stark, seriously what's up with you? I can easily talk about mine so fine, I'll go first. Rhodey's been my guardian for what feels like forever and it's more like we are friends than adult teenager. I have be-"

"For Valhalla's sake, no one cares!" Loki interrupted, shouting over Tony's next words as he lost control of his temper. "No one cares so be quiet and finish the reports."

It took a moment for Loki to calm down and realise that the situation probably hadn't called for him to raise his voice so loudly. Taking a deep breath, he released it through his mouth, letting the last remnants of his anger be dispelled with it. He realised that since he had spoken, there had only been silence in the room. He had expected a witty remark or stupid comeback but there had been nothing. When he looked over at Tony he saw the other just staring at the wall, his own breathing shallower and less rhythmic than normal.

Feeling rather bad for what he had said because it was uncalled for, Loki apologised. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that."

Tony turned his head and replied, "Well you should mean it...because it's true."

Taken aback by what he had heard, Loki tried to reassure him that that wasn't true. He was surprised by Tony's tone, it was so flat and hollow, nothing like his usual voice. All of his charm and humour seemed to have just disappeared. Loki could find no trace of them on his blank face.

"Don't lie Loki and pretend you didn't mean what you said. It's true, no one cares about me. I know it, you know it, hell the whole world knows it. No one's cared since my parents died, and even then it was only my mum that actually gave a shit."

"That's not true," Loki said calmly, easily hiding the panic rising inside him.

"But it is! It is Loki. Rhodey looks after me because he has to, that doesn't mean he cares, my friends certainly don't care, they couldn't give two shits if I didn't turn up for school on Monday, Tuesday or the whole fucking week." As he spoke his voice rose in volume until it was Tony who was shouting this time instead of Loki.

"Right, okay," Loki began, standing up from his place on the bed and collecting his papers together. "I'm going to go because you need to calm down and I doubt we would get much more work done anyway."

"Fine then, leave," Tony replied, opening the bedroom door ready to slam after he left. "Go, just like everyone else."

This time Loki registered the difference in his tone. It was no longer full of anger and hate, it was more bitterness and resentment, sadness, loneliness. Despair.

"No one cares, it's cool. I'm always alone, no one gives a shit about the poor little rich kid," Tony muttered as Loki passed him on his way out.

In the doorway Loki hesitated. He wanted to stay, he wanted to make sure Tony would be okay but he knew that that wouldn't be the best thing to do. It would probably only serve to make matters worse. And when did he start caring about people so much? Yes, he supposed he considered Tony a friend of sorts but to actually not want to leave him alone and to want to make him feel better. Well that just wasn't Loki.

Stepping back, he faced Tony and met his gaze. "People do care about you and don't ever think they don't."

"Yeah like who? Oh whatever, I thought you were going?" Tony said, not giving Loki a chance to answer.

Loki glanced at the door, debating with himself what to do. He looked back at Tony then leant in close and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. "I care," He murmured before walking out the room and down the stairs. Only when he got outside did he realise exactly what he had just done.

It appeared to be a recurring theme now for Loki to leave Tony's house feeling like an idiot. It wasn't even intentional; he was just very good at it. Why though? Why did he have to kiss Tony? Why did his brain tell him that that would be the best thing to do in that moment? These were the thoughts that plagued him all the way home, only briefly leaving him as he shut the door behind him.

"You're back early," his mother commented as he walked into the kitchen.

"We got the work done quicker than expected," Loki said automatically.

Frigga smiled, busying herself with chopping some vegetables then scrapping them into a pan. Leaving her to her cooking, Loki made to walk out of the kitchen but stopped as something caught his eye on the kitchen table. He read the front cover of the newspaper before flicking a few pages in and skim reading the page long article. After he was finished he released a breath he hadn't realised he had been holding. So that was why Tony hadn't been himself and had freaked out over what Loki had said. This also explained why Rhodey had given him a warning as he got to his house. It was all because ten years ago today his parents had been in a car crash that had killed them both.

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><p>He was getting ready to go out again before he even thought about it. Frigga watched him run upstairs, glancing to the table to see what he had been reading. She read over the pages and her face fell into an expression of pity. Poor boy, to lose his parents so young. She didn't say anything to Loki when he hurried back down the stairs and when he shouted a brief goodbye, she didn't even call him back to ask where he was going. Frigga just hoped it was to make sure his friend was okay. From him getting back so early she assumed something had probably happened between them that needed resolving.<p>

Unfortunately, if she found out where Loki was actually going, she would be sourly disappointed because he was not going to talk things over with Tony. Instead, as soon as he left, he sent a text out to Natasha asking her to meet him in town for a rather late lunch. Luckily for him, she accepted, perhaps picking up on the abruptness of the text. He wouldn't just randomly ask to meet straight away without reason and she also knew that he was supposed to be with Tony today. Something had happened, she wanted to know what.

They met in a small cafe on the high street, Loki got there first and was already sipping at his mug of coffee before Natasha came barrelling through the door, spotting him straight away by the window and heading over. Immediately, she sat down and grabbed the menu, ordering herself a large meat filled sandwich and a slice of cake to follow along with a hot chocolate topped with cream, marshmallows and sprinkles.

As she spoke Loki raised an eyebrow at her apparently massive appetite.

"What?" She said as the waitress bustled away to prepare her order. "I'm hungry, they make good food, and it's cold outside. I'm not going to turn that down, especially when my house is devoid of anything edible."

"Fair enough," Loki conceded.

They didn't speak much until Natasha's food after her insistence that she wouldn't be able to concentrate with her stomach growling so loudly. Loki allowed her that, knowing it was best to postpone what he was about to tell her. He wasn't exactly sure of her reaction.

"So, what happened to your date that lead to you having a late lunch with me?" she asked finally, after eating half of her sandwich.

"Not my date," Loki corrected. "And nothing," he lied.

"Well you're here for a reason so spill," Natasha demanded, taking a gulp of her drink and regretting it immediately. She flapped around for a few seconds, waiting for her mouth to cool down from the boiling hot liquid, while Loki watched her, laughing lightly.

He didn't begin speaking until his friend gave him a very pointed look that said start talking or I will make you. And so he began to explain his day and how great it had been. Unintentionally, he went off on a tangent about just how amazing Tony was and got slightly carried away on his explanations and reasoning's as to why that, by the end, had Natasha staring at him with a knowing look on her face, a smirk playing on her lips.

"What it is?" Loki groaned, having a vague idea of what she was about to say.

"Loki, sweetie, I don't know how to break this to you but I think you like Tony," She said delicately, putting a lot of emphasis on the word_ like_.

He opened his mouth to argue but then shut it again, crumpling under her intense gaze and admitting defeat. "Oh hell Tasha' I think you're right and well...that would explain why I thought it was a good idea to kiss him." Natasha gaped at him in shock. "It's not how it sounds."

After explaining what had happened it turned out that it was almost exactly how it sounded.

"So what are you going to do now?" She asked.

"I don't know, go home? Now you've finished eating-"

"I mean about Tony," Natasha interrupted, unimpressed.

"Oh right...nothing."

"Why not?" His friend nearly whined.

"Because of many reasons but to name a few, he's straight, he still has that stuff going on with Pepper that's nowhere near sorted, and the biggest one is that he's still an idiot, but an attractive idiot none the less."

Natasha seemed rather upset by his reasons and tried to convince Loki that they were just excuses and that they shouldn't put him off going for it with Tony. Sadly, he remained stubborn and so she decided to try a different approach.

"So what exactly was the kiss like, was it full on tongue action or was it sweet and innocent?"

"Leaning towards the latter," Loki replied absently, drinking down the rest of his coffee.

"Okay so it was romantic?"

"Not really, more just my stupid brain telling me to do a stupid thing."

"How did Tony react?"

How many more questions? Loki asked himself before replying.

"I don't know. I left straight after, I didn't even look back."

"Okay Loki, kiss me." Loki gaped at her. "Show me how you kissed him, then I'll be able to think of what to do next. Come on, this is what friends are for!"

"I think you just want to match make."

"Stop stalling and kiss me," Natasha demanded. Loki still insisted against it so she began chanting at him. "Kiss me, kiss me, kiss me!" with each one, her voice rose in volume until people started to turn around, giving them odd looks.

"Fine. But if you fall in love with me, it's not my fault.

She gave him a _whatever_ look then sat silently and expectantly, waiting for him to lean over. Taking a moment to prepare himself, Loki swallowed then sat forward, ready to demonstrate how he kissed Tony.

Unfortunately, it just so happened that at that moment the fates decided to treat Loki very poorly, which meant that Tony and Clint walked past the cafe window and glanced inside just as Loki kissed his friend. Immediately, he drew back looking slightly alarmed that the two had seen him, knowing that they would now assume Natasha and himself were together. Natasha was unsure of what to do, very well aware that this situation was entirely her fault. Although, in her defence, she hadn't expected Tony to walk past.

As the two carried on walking, not dwelling long enough to see what would happen, Loki was left feeling at a loss. He really really hadn't expected that to happen. But he knew now that if his chances before hand of getting with Tony had been small, after what had just happened, his chances were now nonexistent. Slumping back in his chair, he sighed heavily, sharing a look with Natasha who was at a loss of what to say.

It was his first time of liking someone for a long time and he had already fucked his chances up. Wow, this school year was really going well so far, he thought sarcastically.

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><p><em>Wow, what are the chances? *gasp* Hope you liked it, please review?!<em>


	8. Chapter 8

_Everyone be proud, I actually proof read this chapter (although I still apologise for any mistakes). _

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><p><span>Chapter 8<span>

"Well that's a real slap in the face," Clint muttered, as they carried on walking past the window and out of sight. "How did I not see that coming?"

Tony grunted in reply, not having an actual answer for his friend. They continued to walk, mostly in silence, though it was occasionally punctured by a sigh or grumble from Clint. It wasn't hard to guess that his best friend had feelings for Natasha even though he had never actually voiced them. But now he finally started to admit just how much he liked the girl that he had just seen kissing someone else. Tony felt really rather sorry for him as he shared some of his previously hidden feelings.

"I just don't get it, they just seemed like really good friends."

"I know man, I feel for you. Though I suppose you dodged a bullet, her moods are very changing and I wouldn't want to be close on her bad days."

"Nah Natasha's alright," Clint replied, shrugging. "She's just picky with who she talks to. I mean, come on, everyone reaches a limit with how much bullshit they can listen to in one day."

"Fair point," Tony nodded.

They didn't speak at all after that short conversation. Neither really knew what to say to the other. Their original plans had been totally forgotten and so they just headed out of the town into the more residential areas. From the path they were subconsciously following, they seemed to be going in a very large circle, heading back in the direction of both of their houses.

To Tony the whole situation just sucked. He was already in a bad mood from the argument with Loki, which led to him feeling upset, frustrated and stupid. All those emotions mixed in together felt terrible but now he had the added weight that had settled in his stomach, pulling him downwards as though to keep him from moving or doing anything. He couldn't describe what that emotion or feeling was but he knew that it wasn't good, especially as it had never happened before. And that it had only come on after he had seen Natasha and Loki kiss.

Unfortunately Tony wasn't an idiot, he was actually very smart. Although at this moment in time he wished to be stupid because as he added up his emotions in time with each event and compared to previous similar situations he worked out by process of elimination that what he was in fact feeling now was jealousy. That was not good. Definitely not good at all.

It was at that moment that he realised that Clint was staring at him curiously.

"I know why I'm sad, but why the hell do you look like you might cry?" He asked.

"I'm not about to cry," Tony said, rolling his eyes. "I just feel bad for you, it must suck."

He knew he was lying to his friend, well bending the truth as he did feel sorry for Clint, but he knew his friend would understand. Clint wasn't stupid either; he knew Tony wasn't telling the truth. But that could also be down to the fact that Tony was an appalling liar. Either way, they both knew and neither commented on it.

Not long later they parted ways, muttering a goodbye to eachother before heading for their respective houses. When Tony finally unlocked the front door and marched upstairs, he walked straight past his bed and directly into his bathroom where he shut the door and fell back against it. He let all of his pent up emotions flow out of him in a long loud sigh. Then he turned on his shower, waited for the water to get slightly too hot to be comfortable, stripped, and stepped in under the heavy torrent of water.

Relishing in the feeling of the water pounding down over his head and shoulders, Tony ran his fingers through his hair and sighed again. He rested his back against the freezing tiled wall and dropped his head back, closing his eyes.

What was going on, he thought, what the hell was going on? Some new kid waltzes in directly into his bed, albeit unintentionally, and suddenly Tony is jealous of seeing him kiss his friend. Jealousy. One of Tony's most hated emotions and the one he had just figured out he was feeling. But why? Why was he jealous? There was definitely no reason to be.

Okay so he may enjoy talking to Loki. And arguing with him. And being near him. But they were not reasons for jealousy were they? Then he thought back over how he had watched Loki lean over the table to kiss Natasha and the darkness came back to him. He remembered how Loki had kissed him only an hour or so before. Though it had been very light, barely a brush of the lips on his skin, it had still raised goose bumps and left Tony feeling slightly weak kneed. Okay so maybe he liked Loki. But he would get over it right? It was just a stupid crush, nothing more.

Maybe this crush would be good for him anyway. Though he had never really had feelings for a man before, he didn't have a problem with it and he was tired of all the shit with Pepper (even though he may have caused most of it). Maybe taking a huge break from girls of any kind would be a good thing. Everyone needed change once in a while otherwise life gets too boring and predictable.

And with that reassuring thought in mind, he managed a smile before finishing his shower and stepping out into the cooler air. He dried off quickly and pulled on some old jogging bottoms and a large t-shirt then snuggled into bed. Even though it was only late afternoon, Tony was exhausted and thought it best to get a few hours sleep because he would probably be up all night down in the garage inventing all kinds of wonderful things. It was the weekend after all and he was sure his huge mountain of homework could definitely wait until tomorrow.

Just before he fell asleep though, he agreed with himself that he needed to find out about the nature of Loki and Natasha's relationship just in case. Just in case there was some hope for him.

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><p>It was Monday. It was cold. Everyone around school seemed to have given up on work already and were all doing a sort of slumped shuffle around the building, trying to ignore the clouds getting darker and the drizzle turning into a heavy downpour. It soon made the windows opaque meaning the students couldn't even escape their mundane lessons by staring absently out of the window, instead subjected to gazing at the wall or at the blackboard, not taking in anything their teachers were writing or saying.<p>

Then the bell would ring signalling break or lunch. They would clamber to their feet and leave the room in an orderly fashion, unlike when they first arrived back after summer when they would literally throw themselves at the door in hopes of being the first one out.

It was now lunchtime and Loki was searching through the assortment of books on his English teacher's desk, looking for the specific one he required. Behind him he heard the classroom door close. He thought that to be rather odd. Though the windows were open, only a very light breeze blew through the room that was nowhere near powerful enough to close the solid wood door. The only other options were that the room was haunted or someone had closed it. He chose the latter, knowing that that one was actually plausible compared with the first.

Turning around, looking away from the desk, his eyes settled on the image of Tony leaning against the back wall next to the now closed classroom door.

"So, you and Natasha? Didn't see it myself but I've been proved wrong before. How long have you been together, a week, month? Or were you already together before you even came here?"

"I'm not seeing Natasha, we're just friends. I'm not seeing anyone," Loki added, hoping that that little piece of information would help the situation.

"Just friends?" Tony said, eyebrows raised. "I'm friends with Clint but that doesn't mean I snog his face off at weekends."

"I don't-" Loki tried to say but was cut off by Tony.

"I saw you Loki. What? Is it like a hobby of yours then to go around kissing everyone?" He was being harsh and he knew it. He was using his anger to hide the hurt that lay beneath and he wanted to get a rise out of Loki. He needed answers.

"Tony that is not what I do and you know it."

"Then why did you fucking kiss me then Loki if there wasn't some meaning behind it?" He was moving closer now, standing directly in front of Loki and the other had nowhere to hide with his back pressed firmly against the desk behind him. "Does that mean I can just go around and kiss whoever I want?"

To prove his point, he suddenly leant in close to the other man, making it seem like he was going to steal a kiss when really he was just going to get close then pull away. Loki, however, didn't seem to work that out and pushed Tony hard in the chest, forcing him a few steps back.

"You-you slug!" He cried. "Why the hell did you do that?"

"To prove that you can't just kiss people and act like nothing happened," Tony shouted back. "And if I'm a slug then you're a fucking snail."

At that Loki snorted derisively. Even for Tony, that was a seriously lame comeback. "A snail, really?"

"Yeah because...because you're always hiding in your shell," Tony stuttered, trying to hang onto any thread that he could find that didn't make him sound like a total idiot. "You can be all happy and dandy, making fun of people with your wit and English charm but as soon as things get personal you shut down, hide away. You make out to be so open and honest but you're only honest about others, never yourself. You never let people get close."

"Is that what you want Stark, to get close?" Loki sneered.

"I did."

And it hurt Loki to hear those words spoken so honestly by one of the only people that Loki actually liked. It was that short statement that drained Loki of all his anger and energy. He sagged backwards against the desk and sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry Tony," He said finally, after what felt like hours of silence. "I shouldn't have kissed you and I don't know why I did it." It was a lie. He knew exactly why he did it but he wasn't going to admit that. Not when it was so obvious how close Tony was to giving up on him all together. He could live with just being his friend. He would have to. "And I don't trust people. That's why I don't get personal. It's as simple as that."

Tony remained silent for some time, thinking over what Loki had said. "Well thanks I guess...for explaining. I'm sorry too but maybe from here we should start again, this time trying to stop the arguments before they fester because I think we could be good friends if we weren't both stubborn dicks."

Loki actually laughed at that. "Yes, I believe we would."

"Good, now this is getting way too touchy feely for my liking so I'm gunna go to lesson now and see you at the meeting later. Don't miss me too much in the meantime," Tony smiled, turning on his heels and leaving the room.

"I'll try," Loki said after him, letting the smile fall off his face as soon as Tony was out of sight.

Friends. Friends. Well at least he had that.

Shouldering his bag, Loki shuffled out the room and spent the rest of his day in varying degrees of misery with Natasha constantly reminding him that life really wasn't that bad at the moment. 'Wait until the exams,' she said, 'then you can be miserable.'

* * *

><p>"Where were you at lunch? I couldn't find you anywhere."<p>

Tony had just taken a seat in maths when Clint strolled over and pulled out the chair next to him.

"I had some stuff to sort out. Why? Did I miss something good?"

"Not really," Clint replied, pulling out his books and a pen from the bottom of his bag. "Although some of the younger kids had this huge argument in the middle of the dining hall which was quite amusing."

He smiled slightly at the memory before turning to face the front as their teacher began to speak. They were revising one of the easier topics that day which meant the whole hour would be a lot easier. Unfortunately the teacher didn't accept any chatter when he was speaking and only allowed whispering during the time they were given to answer the questions. He also had a habit of talking for a very very long time and explaining the processes over and over again that everyone in the room felt drowsy and unwilling to do the work when it finally came around to it.

Tony supposed it was lucky then that he found the topic ridiculously easy and completed all the work within ten minutes of the forty minutes they were given. After first completing he just sat there for a while, staring around him at the other students conversing in low voices about anything and everything that didn't relate to the task in front of them. Then he looked towards the window but it was so fogged up because of the rain that he soon gave up trying to make out anything on the other side of the glass and went back to staring around the classroom.

"Hey Clint," He whispered to his friend. There was no reply. "Clint."

The man next to him continued to ignore him, leaning forward so he was practically lying on the table with his back to Tony.

"Clint, hey, talk to me," Tony whined quietly, jabbing his friend between his shoulder blades with his pen.

"What?" Clint demanded, turning around with a grimace of pain. Even though it was just a pen, the stab had still quite hurt.

"Talk to me man, I'm bored as hell."

"Good for you, I gotta do the work first."

"Kill joy," Tony muttered, slumping back in his chair and huffing.

During their brief conversation, their teacher had glanced over at them and he was now eying Tony with a very disapproving look. Tony sent him back a 'what, whispering's not illegal now is it?' look which caused the other to roll his eyes and look back down to the papers he was in the process of marking.

It took about another ten minutes of total boredom before Clint turned to him and said, "Right I'm done, now what do you wanna talk about?"

"Oh I dunno," Tony replied, moving forward so that his arm covered most of his face so that his teacher couldn't see him talking again.

Clint sent him an unamused look but didn't make a comment, instead shifting so that he too couldn't be seen to be talking either.

"Well you must have something to say otherwise you wouldn't have wanted to talk so much. Come on, I hurried up my work and probably got all the questions wrong now for this so tell me something interesting."

At this point Tony knew he could make up some random stuff to discuss with Clint that seemed like a serious issue or he could actually share the dilemma he was in and hope that his friend would help him. The latter was slightly tempting but the former held a lot more hope that he wouldn't be judged or laughed at. Still, he wasn't one to take the easy option so he sided with the latter. Taking a moment to mentally prepare himself, Tony leant in even closer and began to talk.

"So I like someone," He started then trailed off almost immediately, unsure how to continue.

"I'm assuming it's not Pepper judging by the way you said that. You guys are definitely over then?"

"For me it's over but I think she's still hanging on so no, it's not Pepper."

"Ohh okay," Clint said, getting quite excited. "Do I have to play the guessing game or will you give me some clues? Wait it's not Natasha is it because we may have a problem on our hands?"

"No it's not her," Tony hissed back, smiling at his friend's expression of relief. "In fact it's not actually a girl." He spoke the last words tentatively, watching for Clint's reaction.

To his surprise a wide smile broke out over Clint's face, revealing all his teeth. "It's Loki isn't it?" he asked, still smiling.

"What? No!" Tony said a little too loudly but that was due to the surprise that his friend had got it in one.

He peaked towards the front of the classroom and was relieved to see his teacher still staring resolutely down at the papers, obviously having not heard Tony.

Though he was lying again, he was quite impressed with his reflexes although perhaps he did answer too quickly judging by the way Clint was now staring at him, eyebrows raised.

"Really? Damn I was sure it was him. Fine, I give up, just tell me."

"Okay you were right the first time."

"I knew it," Clint cried, throwing his fist into the air in triumph. Unfortunately their teacher heard that time and Clint lowered his arm back down awkwardly, trying not to pay attention to almost everyone's eyes on him.

"I would appreciate if you kept the noise to a bare minimum," Their teacher snapped. "But if your conversation is really that important then perhaps you should share it with the rest of us."

"No, no, it's fine," Clint replied, staring down at his desk and going ever so slightly pink in the cheeks.

Their teacher nodded and went back to his marking while Clint sighed in relief.

"Still, I knew it," He said, this time a lot quieter. "God Natasha was so right."

It took a moment for those words to sink in for Tony. "What? When did you talk to her? And why did she even mention me, let alone guess this?"

"Oh, we were talking during free period earlier in the library," He replied with a smile at the memory. "And we were just talking and you sort of just cropped up."

"Yeah but that doesn't explain how she suddenly thinks that I like Loki."

"Does it matter?" Clint said, deliberately evading the questions. "So what are you gunna do about your feelings?"

"Nothing. We spoke earlier and basically said we were gunna stop arguing and just be friends so I assume that means that we can't be anything more than that and I doubt Loki would go for me anyway. I don't seem his type."

"Who cares about types? You never know," Clint said, looking hopeful. "Don't give up hope yet."

Tony just grumbled in response. Don't give up hope. Don't give up hope. Well that was difficult to do when Loki had told him earlier that the kiss had meant nothing. From that he felt that giving up would be the easy option. But one thing continued to bug him all through the rest of maths class and the meeting after school. Why had Natasha wanted to know if he liked Loki unless Loki had said something? There must have been something that caused her to ask or assume he liked Loki, but what was it? He could assume that it was that Loki liked him but he doubted it. Still, as Clint had said, don't give up hope yet.

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><p><em>Damn aren't these two frustrating, wouldn't it be easier if they both just admitted their feelings? Still, I'm sure they'll work it out soon but until next time, goodbye. Please review?! (Also a little thankyou to my awesome friend Hannah who suggested that Loki calls Tony a slug) <em>


	9. Chapter 9

_I'm so sorry for not updating for like three weeks, exams are hell! Also I know this build up is slow but I prefer stories like that, anyway, I promise you don't have much longer to wait ;) for now, enjoy! (thankyou for the support, you guys are awesome)_

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><p><span>Chapter 9<span>

It had gone on for long enough and frankly, it had gotten boring almost straight away. There wasn't anything interesting or remotely funny about this incident, it was just pure annoying. He had sat resolutely in his seat up until this point but now he had had enough. He needed to sort this out otherwise he might start smacking his head against the desk and he really didn't want to do that for many reasons. The most important being that he didn't want to injure himself.

"Right, that's enough. I said SHUT UP!" The whole room went silent and stared at their teacher, shock plain on all of their faces. "I've had it with all your arguments. How are you supposed to complete this project if you jump down each other's throats every other second?"

"What are we supposed to do about it?" Loki asked Mr Logan.

"I think some team building exercise would be a good way to go." Everyone froze at that. Team building? Them? Was this a joke? "Maybe sport? A tournament?" Obviously not.

They all exchanged looks, all sharing a unanimous thought. They did not want to partake in this apparent team building, especially if it involved sport. Only a few of them, as in one or two enjoyed sport, while the rest avoided it at all costs, unless they needed to run for the bus.

"We don't need team building, we're fine. See, we're not arguing anymore," Darcy piped up, hoping that her comment would settle the matter. It did not.

Mr Logan stood shaking his head in the middle of the room. "This is not up for discussion. I'm tired of the bickering and you only have two months left to get this right. It might seem like a long time but it's not. So tomorrow, instead of a meeting, you will bring in some sort of sports clothing, you'll be sorted into teams and we are going to have ourselves a tournament and the sport we will be playing is rugby. Hopefully it will allow you all to get this anger worked out of you so that when we come back next week you will all be ready to work hard again."

They all collectively groaned. Rugby. Rugby! Most of them didn't even know how to play, but they supposed they would be told the rules before hand, but still. This was ridiculous. He was treating them like children. Well they had been arguing like children. Maybe they did deserve this.

"But it's supposed to rain again," Loki said, nodding towards the window.

"And? A little rain never hurt anyone."

A satisfied smile curled onto his face as he watched them all turn towards the window themselves. The clouds outside were dark grey, threatening rain already. They looked back at Mr Logan and released heavy sighs in unison. He had so done this on purpose. Much to his delight the rest of the meeting was spent in varying degrees of calm and quiet. Most likely due to the fact that they were all worried in case he extended their punishment even more by say, forcing them to help teachers with marking, or ask neighbours if they wanted their lawn mowing...for free. The thought was horrifying.

"I can't fucking believe him," Tony moaned as they left the classroom over an hour later. "I really can't. But I suppose on the plus side it wasn't us arguing for once."

Loki rolled his eyes. "That's not exactly a plus side if you ask me. Yes we may not have been involved but it is our jobs to stop everyone else arguing instead."

"Fair point," Tony agreed reluctantly.

They walked out of school side by side, not saying much to each other. When it was time for Tony to go right in order to get his car, they bid each other goodbye, Loki carrying on straight ahead, through the school gates.

As Tony drove past him a few minutes later, he noted the fact that as Thor caught up with his brother, Loki sped up. Not enough for Thor to be left behind, but enough that Thor had to hurry to keep up. There was also a distinct frostiness to his expression now that had not been there before. It had come to Tony's attention a lot lately that Loki didn't act the same around Thor, that he was short with him, often snapping, or just making sarcastic remarks, or else just ignoring him altogether. It always caused him to wonder what exactly had happened between them to make Loki act this way, because whatever it was didn't seem to bother Thor half as much as it bothered Loki.

This train of thought, though, always brought him back to that night which had technically been their first meeting. Why had Loki been so drunk? Tony supposed there had to be a reason. He didn't seem like the type to go out and get absolutely pissed so that he couldn't remember what he was doing. Especially seeing as Tony doubted he had touched or even been near any alcohol since then. So what had caused it?

Thinking it was best to drop that line of thought because he was starting to pay more attention to that rather than the road. Once again concentrating solely on his driving, Tony managed a safe journey home, happy to finally be away from school and the teachers who would not stop with their onslaught of homework.

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><p>Much to all of their dislike, the end of the next day came round far quicker than they hoped. Though, despite all of their complaints, they all managed to bring in appropriate clothing. Unfortunately, it just so happened that the rain began as they trudged towards the changing rooms. At first it was a few light spots hitting the backs of their heads but, by the time they had finished getting changed and were waiting for Mr Logan to arrived, it had turned into a downpour.<p>

"He can't seriously expect us to play?" Clint asked, hope still in his voice that it might be called off.

"Naa, he's not the type of teacher to go back on a promise, no matter how harsh it is," Tony replied miserably.

"Come friends, this is a wonderful opportunity for some friendly conflict. It will be fun," Thor piped up.

"Yeah," agreed Steve. "It really isn't going to be as bad as you all think."

Everyone in the small changing room turned round to stare at the pair with exasperated looks on their faces. They all knew that these two were the sportiest out of them all and actually did exercise for fun. For fun! They were used to training in all weathers so a little bit of rain didn't bother them. While for the rest, who usually refused to exercise for fear of death, saw this competition as a punishment from Satan himself.

There was a knock n the door then it was opened slowly and Natasha's head appeared around it.

"Is it safe to come in? None of you are naked right?" She asked, but didn't wait for a reply. Instead choosing to throw the door open and allowing the other girls to walk in behind her, all dressed in sportswear.

"Well it's a little late even if we were," Loki replied, smiling at her as she sat next to him.

For the remaining time while waiting for their teacher to arrive, they spent it talking and joking in small groups. They were trying to lighten the mood before they were soaked by the rain and smothered in mud from the ridiculously slippery ground. By the time Mr Logan did arrive, most of them could safely say they were no more excited in the idea than they had been before. With muffled groans so as not to anger him, they trudged outside, awaiting their instructions.

It was on his way out that Tony caught Darcy staring at him with a grin on her face. He looked both to the left and right of himself but there was nothing else around him that was remotely interesting. Glancing back at her, he saw that she was still smirking at him.

"Is there something on my face?" Tony asked, walking over to her. She shook her head, her smile widening. "What is it then?"

"He likes you too, you know," She said suddenly, lowering her voice so that no one could hear. Not that anyone else was there, they were all already outside.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Loki. He likes you too," She said very slowly, over pronouncing every word as though he wasn't smart enough to even know what two plus two was.

"Eh..." Tony basically squeaked, then pulled himself together. He sat beside her and leant in close. "Who said I liked him?"

Darcy sent him an _oh please_ look before replying. "It's so obvious I'm surprised he doesn't even know. But seriously." She turned and sat cross-legged on the bench, directly facing him. "When did you start liking him?"

"Tha-that's- that's not important. What is important is that you promise not to tell anyone, including him." Darcy placed her right hand over her heart and nodded, though, when he mentioned not telling Loki, her face dropped. She opened her mouth to protest. "Nope, no means no."

"But he likes you too!" She whined

"And how do you know that for sure?" Tony asked doubtfully. At that moment he became acutely aware how odd this conversation was to have in the boys changing room when they were supposed to be warming up outside ready to play rugby. He really hadn't expected his day to culminate in this conversation.

"The way you look at him when you think he's not looking is the exact same way that he looks at you when you're not looking. Damn I wish you would both just look at the same time and this whole tension thing will go away and you can just like make out then get a room somewhere. What? I'm just saying it like it is," She said, noticing his shocked expression. "And now that you've stopped arguing as much it actually seems that you might work out and not just rip each other's heads off."

"Thanks...I think," Tony replied hesitantly. "But wha-"

At that moment, he was interrupted from a loud shout coming from the doorway. "Are you two just going to sit there gossiping or are you going to join in?" Mr Logan cried.

They both got to their feet and exited the changing room, noting happily that the rain was now nowhere near as heavy as it had been before.

"Are you excited," Loki asked, walking over as soon as Tony appeared on the pitch where they were playing. "Because I know I am," he said, very sarcastically.

"Oh yeah totally," Tony replied, an equal amount of sarcasm in his voice.

Just as they made their way to the centre of the pitch where the others stood, huddled together, Tony glanced back and saw Darcy smile at him then gesture to Loki before giving him a thumbs up. He rolled his eyes in response to her miming to which she glared back.

When they were all finally together, including Darcy, who had been taking her sweet time to cross the field, two captains were chosen and they were allowed to choose their teams. As no one was totally for the tournament except Steve and Thor, they were made captains. Steve was allowed to choose first. By the time that everyone had been sorted onto teams, most were even more unhappy than they had been before. This was mostly due to the fact that they had been left until last and so had only been picked because there were no other relatively good people left. In the end the teams were, for Steve: Tony, Clint, Pepper, Phil and Maria while for Thor: Loki, Bruce, Natasha, Jane and Darcy.

Seeming impressed by the speed up in the proceedings, Mr Logan went on to explain the rules. Unfortunately he then had to explain them again to the group as most had no idea what he had meant the first time or had just generally not been listening. After they all had a fairly good idea of what they were about to do, they started to get into position. As with all sports games, the start was slow, the players hesitant. This was intensified by the fact that they had no idea what the hell they were doing.

But it didn't take much longer for them to get properly into it. They got to grips with the rule that you can't pass forwards and were all soon okay with being tackled to the floor after it had happened to them all at least three times. To everyone's surprise, Darcy turned out to be a great asset to Thor's team and scored three tries while Steve had only managed to score one for his. After that shock, the players started to get angry. And that was when they all started to get competitive and play a little bit dirtier. Not long later, Mr Logan was blowing hard on his whistle, calling the game to a halt.

"What the hell was that?" He demanded, marching over to the centre of the field where Clint stood, staring innocently at a point just above Mr Logan's head.

"What was what?"

"That! What you just did. You deliberately tripped Jane then shoved Bruce out the way just so they wouldn't tackle Steve."

"Is that not allowed?"

"No it's bloody well not! Anymore of those snarky comments and you'll be off the pitch, understand?"

Clint mumbled a "Yes Sir," before turning his back, pulling a face as he walked away. After that, everyone became aware of their more harsh movements but they didn't do anything about it. They either tried doing moves while Mr Logan wasn't looking or else just tried to be discreet. They just assumed that even if he did see then he didn't comment, obviously he wanted this game to end sooner rather than later. Stopping it continuously would only delay.

Unfortunately, it was Steve rather than their teacher who stopped the game next time. He managed to get the ball passed to him but, instead of running then passing to someone else, he stood stock still, in the middle of the pitch, and attempted to say something.

"Alright guys just stop for a minute, I think we all need to just calm down-"

The last of his words, however, were of a muffled cry of pain because Thor had gone pelting at him and grabbed him round the waist before toppling him over backwards. Rather unluckily for Steve, it seemed the blonde mountain of a man had not heard his shout to stop the game and had tackled him, thinking that it would be a good opportunity to gain some ground. As everyone else on the pitch watched him fall to the ground, they howled with laughter, mostly at the total look of surprise on both Steve's and Thor's faces.

"Right, that's enough. I give in," Mr Logan conceded. "I don't want to risk any more injuries so I'm calling it quits, go get your things from the changing rooms then go home but when you come back next week, I expect no arguments."

They all let out huge sighs of relief although some of them had actually enjoyed it by the end. They all chatted animatedly about the game as they trudged back across the field, noting briefly that it had stopped raining. The ground was still very wet and, as Loki joined Natasha, Clint and Tony, he slipped and tried to grab hold of Natasha. She instinctively pushed him away and he went cascading into Tony and they both fell in a heap on the floor, Loki on top.

For a moment neither of them registered what had just happened. Then, suddenly, they became very aware of their position. Making eye contact for the briefest of seconds, both panicked, struggling to get to their feet. Loki made it up first, scowling at Natasha who was holding back laughter. What was odd though was when he glanced just behind her he saw Darcy smirk at Tony before winking then moving away. He looked at Tony himself, noticing the faint flush in his cheeks. What was that about? Was there something between them or did she do it because of what happened with himself at Tony? Silently, he prayed for the latter.

All of them were in better spirits when they finally left the school grounds. Loki was secretly thrilled that Tony was walking home with him. Apparently his car had broken down that morning and he couldn't be bothered to fix it before school. Loki had asked why he didn't use any of the others as there had been at least four cars in the garage when he had been in there. Tony explained that Rhodey had banned him from driving any of the other cars to school for many reasons, one, so that he didn't show off anymore than he already did (Loki scoffed at that) Two, he didn't want them broken or damaged and three, the cars weren't technically his anyway.

"So are you coming to mine?" Tony asked, after a few beats of silence.

"What?"

"To mine, are you coming? It's a Friday so no school tomorrow and I invited everyone to come chill at mine for the evening, I told Natasha to tell you but she must have forgotten. So got any plans or are you free?"

"I'm free," Loki replied. "But I want to get a shower first." He thought for a moment. "If you want you can stay at mine for a while whilst I get ready, it shouldn't take long and it means I don't have to walk to yours alone."

"Sounds like a plan. Wait, your parents will be cool right? You don't need to give them like a week's notice before you make plans or anything?"

"No they'll be fine," Loki laughed. "Thor only said this morning that he was meeting Jane after school and mother said it was fine. I think she will just be pleased that I have a social life, a few months ago I went through the phase of never leaving the house or even my room. I only left to use the bathroom or to get food. After that period she has always encouraged me to leave."

"Yeah I understand, I've been through a few phases myself."

There was a loud laugh that sounded behind them and they both whipped around. Clint was standing there, a hand over his mouth, trying to stifle his outburst.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Tony demanded.

"Walking home," Clint answered.

"More like stalking us, why didn't you say you were there?"

"I was going to but then it was funnier to listen to you guys talk without you knowing I was there."

"Damn you're a quiet walker, you should be a ninja or something," Tony praised, though he was still annoyed that Clint had been there the whole time. He had been happy that he got this time with Loki alone but now it had been ruined and they had technically not been alone the whole time.

"More like a secret agent," Clint winked and both Loki and Tony rolled their eyes. "The next James Bond for sure. But anyway, speaking of phases, remember Tony when you went through your 'scene' phase."

Tony groaned audibly and looked extremely pained as Loki burst out laughing.

"Are you serious? Tony had a scene phase? I wish I had been there to see it," Loki laughed.

"No, no you really don't!" Tony assured him. "And hey, don't make me feel bad, everyone had a scene phase."

Clint and Loki exchanged looks and began to laugh again. As they all carried on walking, much to Tony's dismay, Clint proceeded to tell Loki even more embarrassing things about him. Half the time he was actively denying them while the rest of the time he spent in different states of embarrassment. Finally, thankfully, Clint left, turning into a street that led to his house.

Just before he left them he said, "So I'll see you soon but I might be a bit late, I'm meeting Natasha on the way."

"That's cool," Tony replied, and once Clint was gone he added, "You know, I think there's something going on between those two."

"Hmm," Loki agreed. "Lately I've been thinking the same."

They carried on walking, mostly in silence, Loki only once commenting that his house was down the next turning. Tony felt his phone vibrate in his pocket; he pulled it out and opened the text message.

_It's always good for the future boyfriend to know how embarrassing his crush used to be, you'll thank me later. Also remember to flirt, chicks love when you flirt so I'm assuming it will work with Loki too. Final thing, don't fuck up. Good luck – Clint._

And with that most helpful piece of advice fresh in his head, he waited for Loki to unlock his front door before following him into his house.

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><p><em>I don't profess to know much about rugby it just seemed something fun to do (again thanks to Hannah). I hope you liked it, please review?! :)<em>


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

As soon as they were both inside and the door was shut, Tony took his opportunity to glance around. Like he had expected, Loki's house was spotless, not a thing was out of place. A few pictures hung in wooden frames on the walls of the spacious hallway. The photographs closest to Tony were of a woman holding a baby with white blond hair. Of course it was Thor. There were more next to it of Thor a few months older and then on the next he was standing up on his short legs while another toddler his age sat beside him. This one had black hair and the brightest green eyes. It was Loki. He wondered for a brief second why there were not any pictures of Loki when he was just a baby but Tony thought it must just be coincidence. Perhaps there were more around the house, in the other rooms.

Taking a few steps to his right, he laughed lightly at the other pictures. They were of a much older Thor and Loki, about nine or ten years old. At that point Thor's hair was already growing dangerously past his shoulders while Loki's was cut neatly about halfway down his neck. In the picture Thor was giving Loki a piggyback ride while the other held tightly around his neck from apparent fear of falling. A man stood to the side with his arms wide ready to catch them if they fell. Besides the fear, Tony could still see the glint of joy in Loki's eyes. They were all smiling in the picture. They all looked so happy.

"Mother loves that picture," Loki said suddenly, startling Tony. He hadn't realised Loki had been watching him. "I don't understand why though. I've tried many times to convince her to take it down but she always refuses."

"It's a nice picture, I can understand why she wants to keep it up. Who's the man in the picture?"

"Odin, my...father," Loki replied, the same bitterness back in his voice that Tony had heard before when he heard Loki talk to Thor. It was more intense now though, there was so much resentment. What had happened in this family that had caused that happiness in the photo to disappear? They both looked at the picture again then Loki cleared his throat.

"So I'm just going to get a quick shower then get dressed and we can go. I'll text mother on the way there where I'm going. Is it okay if you just wait down here? You can have a look around if you want but it's not that interesting."

"No I think your house is cool, I remember it from before."

"When did you..." Then Loki stopped himself, suddenly remembering. "Sorry, I forget a lot that you and Thor were friends long before we were. I'd be very surprised if he'd never invited you round in all that time."

"Yeah, I've only been here a few times though," Tony said. "And I didn't really pay attention to the pictures on the walls then."

Loki smiled slightly then headed up the stairs to the right of the hallway. Tony was left alone on the ground floor, wondering what he should occupy himself with while he waited. Pulling out his phone, he went to his messages and reread the text from Clint. Flirt? Flirt with Loki? And don't fuck up? Flirting with him seemed like the perfect scenario for him to fuck up. He groaned quietly. Liking people was just too much effort, especially when he wasn't sure if the other liked him back or not. He wanted to believe Clint and Darcy, in some ways he did. But then he thought about it and realised how stupid it was. Loki wouldn't like him. Would he?

Above him, he heard the distinct sound of running water. Before he could stop it, his mind wandered onto the topic of showering. Or rather the image of Loki showering. Well that was a dangerous train of thought if ever he saw one. He couldn't help himself. It was his brains fault for imagining the water running down Loki's back and over his torso, soaking his hair, dripping wet from top to bottom. He shook his head, wishing the images away. He distracted himself by once again looking at the photographs on the walls.

The pattering of water died away, replaced by the sound of the bathroom door opening. He expected the footsteps to fade away into Loki's bedroom but instead they got closer. Looking up, he saw Loki at the top of the stairs, a towel wrapped around his waist.

"Tony, I just..."

Loki began to speak but his voice fell into silence when the front door opened and a man stumped in. Tony recognised him from the picture on the wall. This was Odin, a much older Odin it seemed. And this Odin wasn't smiling, on the contrary, when his eyes fell on Loki and then Tony, his expression darkened dramatically.

"Loki, what are you doing? What is going on here?" He growled.

Unsure of what to do, or even if he should speak, Tony started at Loki, willing him to meet his gaze and tell him what to do. But Loki's eyes were fixed on Odin just as Odin's one eye was fixed on him.

"Odin, what are you...? Loki?" Frigga walked in then stopped as she too took in the scene in front of her.

Honestly, Tony couldn't blame their surprise. It wasn't the most ideal situation to walk in on especially when your son is standing practically naked at the top of the stairs with his friend standing at the bottom, both not saying a word to try to explain the situation.

"Go and get dressed then come down here, I want to speak to you," Odin said, he didn't need to command forcefully. He had that air about him that made you follow his words without question.

Loki remained staring at his father for a few seconds more before he turned his head, hurrying away to his room. Still utterly confused of what to do, Tony stared at the floor intently just to avoid meeting the eyes of Loki's parents.

"Tony isn't it?" Frigga asked in a much politer tone than Odin's. He nodded, swallowing before looking up at her. "I remember, your Thor's friend and now Loki's. Why don't you come and help me in the kitchen. I need some help putting all this shopping away." To prove her point she lifted the bags higher that she was carrying.

"Yeah, I'll help." He gladly followed her out of sight of Odin's blazing gaze.

"Sorry about that," She said quietly when they were safely in the kitchen. "Odin finished work early and so helped me with the shopping. Loki never said...well, he never said he was bringing home a friend." She spoke the last word more hesitantly but smiled kindly at him.

From the kitchen he could hear the distant sound of Loki making his way down the stairs. Before Tony could even properly see him through the open door, Odin ushered him into the living room where the door was shut firmly, clearly enforcing the message that they weren't to be interrupted.

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><p>Loki rushed back to his room as fast as he could. Dropping his towel, he pulled on jeans and a random shirt not caring if his body was still damp. He rubbed his hair with the towel then wrenched a comb through it, trying not to make a noise from the pain. Getting ready at top speed meant he didn't have time to dwell on what had just happened, nor did it leave him a second to worry about what was coming. Odin was angry, bordering on furious. And all of his energy would be focused on Loki when he got down stairs. That certainly wasn't something to look forward to.<p>

Once his hair was smooth and not as wet, he pulled it back into a ponytail, tying it with a band that had been round his wrist. Satisfied with his general appearance and the time it had taken him, he hurried back down the stairs and into the living room where Odin was waiting, standing by the open fireplace. As soon as Loki appeared in the doorway, he was gestured to sit down which he did tentatively.

"What were you doing? Or rather, what did you plan on doing if your mother and I had not returned home?"

"Nothing," Loki replied, over emphasising to try and show that his sincerity was genuine. "Tony invited me to his house along with some others and I said I wanted a shower first but offered him to just stay at ours while I got ready as it wouldn't take long. He accepted and waited downstairs while I got a shower and that's it."

"Then why were you standing naked at the top of the stairs."

"I wasn't naked," Loki replied. "I had a towel on."

"Don't use that attitude with me Loki. I know what I saw and you know that it won't be tolerated."

"It's not up to you to tolerate anything. It's my life and so doesn't affect you. The more fuss you make, the more it becomes a problem!" Loki stated defiantly.

"What you do in your own time is up to you but while you live under my roof-"

"While I live under your roof I'm stuck in a house full of lies. You make me keep your secrets just to...just to satisfy your own ends, to make our family look happy when really it is falling down around us," Loki hissed.

Odin swallowed hard and glared at Loki. "Why is it that every time we talk you always bring this up? You keep that secret to not break your mother's heart, if she knew you knew it would kill her."

"Then why didn't you tell me from the start?"

"Because...because you are my son and I wanted you to think of yourself as that."

"Nice try Odin but you're really not a very good liar. Now if it's all the same to you, may I go now?"

"Only if you swear that nothing more was going on apart from you having a shower and your friend waiting downstairs."

"I swear," Loki replied, turning his back and stalking out of the room, shutting the door with a sharp snap.

Tony heard Loki leaving and so pretended to be deeply engaged in unloading Frigga's shopping, in an attempt to conceal his deepening curiosity. A second or two later he appeared in the doorway looking as normal as ever as though nothing out of the ordinary had just happened.

"Is everything alright?" His mother asked, eyeing him oddly.

"Yeah it's fine, although he will probably want to speak to you in a minute."

Sure enough, as soon as he finished talking, Odin called from the living room for Frigga. She smiled sweetly at both Loki then Tony before excusing herself. Just before she disappeared into the room Loki stepped over to her and briefly explained that he was going to Tony's but would keep in contact if she needed him. In response she told them to both have fun then thanked Tony for his help although he felt he hadn't helped enough to even deserve recognition.

"Shall we go then?" Loki asked brightly, easily giving off the air of a man totally at ease.

"Oh...yeah."

They were soon outside once again, in the now colder early evening air. It was already nearing darkness because of the time of year; it was now mid October. Their breath was almost visible as they moved unhurriedly down the path that lead them away from Loki's house and closer to Tony's. For some long minutes they walked in companionable silence, content just with the others presence keeping close beside them. But it was Tony who made the first move back into the world of conversation and communication.

"Is everything okay?" He asked hesitantly, unsure whether Loki would want to discuss what happened at his house.

"Yes, everything is perfectly fine." And he meant it too. Though his conversation with Odin had not been particularly pleasant, he now faced an evening spent in his friends, and predominantly Tony's, company. That was definitely nothing to complain about. He had also just managed to have said man around his house without making a total prat of himself. For once, Loki thought, things were starting to look up. "My father just needed to be corrected on something but it's not important."

"Well if you wanna talk about it I'm always here," Tony smiled.

"I doubt you would want to listen, it would probably make you uncomfortable or something," Loki said quietly, not looking at him.

"Why would it? I'm really unshockable, try me!" He insisted. He really wanted to know what was bothering Loki and if the other was willing to reveal his secrets then that was just a bonus.

"Fine, fine, I'll tell you. My father..." Again Tony noticed the bitterness at the use of the word. "Seemed to think that you were round my house for reasons that weren't purely platonic."

Tony snorted at that. "Why would that make me uncomfortable? So your dad thought we were getting it on or something...is that really such a big deal to you?" Though he spoke the question as a joke, laced underneath his amused tone was a serious longing to know if that were true. Everyone had told him that Loki liked him, but there was still doubt in his mind that he wanted clearing before he made a move of any kind.

"I don't know. If you're not that way inclined it could..."

"Not that way inclined? Who gives a shit because I know I don't. To me Loki you seem like a person who doesn't give a shit what anyone thinks so be that person. Don't shy away of who you are."

"I'm not," Loki said. "And I'm really confused as to how this conversation came round to me caring what people think. All I was saying was that my father thought you and I were something more than friends."

"Yeah and I was just wondering if that would bother you if we were." Okay, okay, Tony's brain panicked, play it cool, act like you meant to say that and it wasn't spur of the moment. Just play it cool, play it cool!

After Tony had said that there was total silence. Loki stopped walking, staring right at Tony who stared back, not able to break eye contact, although he wished to.

"Ehh..." Loki began and then his voice faded away. "Um...no, it...eh...it wouldn't."

"Great," Tony smiled widely, playing his nerves off with total ease. "Anyway, I think we should hurry up a bit otherwise everyone's just gunna be standing out in the cold waiting for me to let them in."

As it turned out, when they reached Tony's front door, there were already two of their friends waiting by the door, cursing the man with every passing second that he was not there. When Darcy and Steve saw them approaching they sighed in relief and jostled Tony as he fumbled in his pocket for his keys.

"What took you so long? We've been here for ages," Steve asked.

"We got delayed," Tony said unhelpfully.

"Oh yeah, with what?" Darcy smirked.

Tony just shot her a look, shaking his head. Just after they were all inside, finally able to warm up, there was a knock on the door and Bruce turned up. He told them that Natasha and Clint would be there soon but Pepper, Phil and Maria couldn't come. Without saying it out loud, Tony was silently very pleased that pepper wouldn't be there, it would be a lot easier getting closer to Loki if she wasn't in the general vicinity.

Now that his mind was back on the topic of Loki, which it apparently spent most of its time as of late, he couldn't help feeling a thrilled sense at remembering that the dark haired man had basically said that dating Tony wouldn't be too bad. For him, that served as the confirmation he needed to make a move. Many people had told him that Loki liked him and he thought that was all the proof he needed. It definitely was the time to forget about Pepper and move on. He just hoped that Loki wouldn't shoot him down.

As they gathered in Tony's living room, they stretched out across his multiple sofas and armchairs, finally able to relax for the first time that day. Everyone had now arrived so they wouldn't need to move for a while unless they needed the toilet or something. They had drinks and food; now was just the time to lazily socialise, away from school and stress.

Loki, however, wasn't feeling quite as comfortable as everyone else appeared to be. Though he was curled up at one end of a sofa, his head resting on the arm and to everyone else he seemed calm, his mind was racing. Since that very brief conversation with Tony where he had accidentally admitted that he wasn't opposed to the idea of a relationship with him, his brain had been a mess. He liked Tony. That much was definite. But from what he had seen earlier, he thought that Tony was interested in Darcy, though from what was said, he now had doubts. Why would Tony be that interested in finding out if he would date him if he didn't have a reason?

Tiredness started to set in as his brain became overloaded with thoughts. He realised then just how tired he really was. Sleep seemed like such a good idea; he was so comfortable. Without thinking much about his actions, he stretched his legs out and settled down further, sinking into the soft cushions below him. Though not registering it as important, he heard a noise from the opposite end of the sofa. He was so sleepy now that he had forgotten Tony was sat beside him. Before he could worry about whether Tony would mind having his legs on him, he had already drifted into the land of sleep.

"What the hell is going on?" Tony hissed over to Clint as Loki's feet pressed against his thighs before stretching over him so that the bottom of his legs and ankles rested across his lap.

Clint glanced round, let out a laugh then squinted at Loki's face that was almost buried in the cushions. "Oh my god, he's asleep."

"What? No, he can't be. Loki? Loki!"

"Don't wake him!" Natasha chided.

"Why not? I've done nothing to deserve this."

"A good boyfriend would never do that. Don't you want to be a good boyfriend Tony?" Clint asked, very seriously though there was a substantial amount mocking in his tone also.

It was perhaps lucky that Bruce and Steve were in such deep conversation that they didn't hear what was being said. Darcy, however, was listening with an amused glint in her eyes. He supposed it was also a bonus that Thor wasn't present at the gathering (he had ditched them for his girlfriend) otherwise Tony could be dead if he had overheard. Unsurprisingly Thor was very protective.

"Fuck off," Tony said. "If he wakes and hears you, then I will kill you all."

Clint made a pfft noise while Natasha laughed saying, "I'd like to see you try."

"So when are you gunna ask him out, you've liked him for over a month now, don't you think it's time?"

"Uh no and do you wanna know why?" they all nodded. "Because it's none of your business."

They all grumbled at that, muttering how he was a killjoy. He didn't respond, instead turning away to look down at Loki, still deep in sleep. For a moment he did nothing, just watched. Then his eyes moved slightly to the left and he saw the black haired mans phone lying next to him. As he shifted his body a little, it slipped dangerously close to the edge where Tony caught it just before it fell. Holding it in his hand, he considered just leaning forward to put it on the coffee table, but then an idea struck him. Pressing a button, the screen lit up and Tony began to type, a small smirk playing on his lips.

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><p><em>What is Tony doing? :O Hope you liked the chapter, please review?! :)<em>


	11. Chapter 11

_I am so so sorry for the long delay but my exams are now over so I should be able to update more often. I really like this chapter and had fun writing it so I hope you enjoy!_

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><p><span>Chapter 11<span>

Natasha and Clint were the last to leave, murmuring their goodbyes to Tony who was still trapped under the weight of Loki's legs. The pair had no wish to disturb the sleeping man as it was far funnier to watch Tony struggle and it meant that they would have more time alone together once he woke up. Unfortunately this plan didn't go as spectacularly as they planned because when they closed Tony's front door it was with a lot more energy than necessary. As the door swung closed with a resounding bang, Loki's body jerked and he lifted his head, blinking lazily.

Only a minute or two before Loki's abrupt awakening, Tony had placed his phone back down by his hand, easily putting it in a way that Loki wouldn't know he had touched it. Smirking to himself, he watched Loki raise his head higher, struggling into a sitting position.

"What was that noise?" He asked, rubbing his eyes and blinking. It took him a couple more seconds to realise that he had just been asleep with a large portion of his body resting on Tony. "Oh god sorry," He gabbled, removing his legs from the others lap. "I didn't mean to fall asleep I jus-where is everyone else?"

"They went home, it's like half eleven. Natasha and Clint only just left though if it makes you feel better."

Loki groaned, falling backwards against the warm sofa cushions. "I really should be going." And to prove his point he got up, noticing only then that his phone was left on the cushion. He picked it up, checked for messages, there were none, before stuffing it back in his pocket. "Well thankyou for inviting me round even though I proved to be terrible company."

"It's fine," Tony smiled, actually quite happy because they may not have talked but they were still very close for the whole time and it was a nice thing to keep in mind that Loki had no problems with close contact. Suddenly he frowned. "Wait, you're not walking home, are you?" Loki nodded. "No you're not, it's late and dark and not safe at night."

"I'm fine by myself, really," Loki insisted.

"Nope, no, I'm giving you a lift. Just give me a sec to tell Rhodey."

Tony's guardian had arrived home about an hour before. He'd popped his head through the living room door and had been rather surprised by what he saw, not that he made any comment, but his general expression conveyed his thoughts clearly enough. Loki lying on Tony had not been what he had expected to see.

The jangle of keys announced Tony's return. Once he came into view, Loki smiled and followed him out. He appreciated the lift as it meant he didn't have to find his way when it was almost midnight, pitch black and freezing outside. Another bonus was that he got extra time with Tony to make up for his sleeping earlier.

As predicted the temperature outside had them both shivering in seconds. Loki wished he had brought a coat. Once in the car, Tony switched on the heating immediately, sighing in relief as warm air blasted through the grate. The rev of the engine followed soon after, then they were reversing, pulling out of Tony's drive and heading off down the road. Only the lights on the dashboard and the orange streetlamps lit the car meaning they were left in relative darkness.

Tony glanced over at Loki and noticed the way the light cast shadows over his face. His high cheekbones glowed in the faint light, while below them his thin cheeks were left in darkness. It was almost eerie yet totally fascinating. He couldn't draw his gaze away. Because Loki was facing away from him, staring out of the window, he couldn't see his eyes but he could guess that they were alight and so impossibly green. He wanted, no he longed, for him to turn around just so that Tony could see them for himself because he knew his imagination could only take him so far. The real thing would probably be breathtaking.

That was about the moment that Tony realised that he was driving in the middle of the night, alone in a car with Loki and neither of them had spoken since they had closed the doors. It was also the moment that he realised just how attracted he was to the man sitting beside him. Said man was still resolutely not looking at Tony, whether for a reason or not, Tony didn't know but he wanted to. He wanted to know what he was thinking, why. He wanted to understand, to know Loki through and through. Every detail.

Okay so he may like Loki slightly more than he first thought. But that was nothing to worry about. Was it? He'd have to just wait and see.

"So...how's school going?" He mentally kicked himself as soon as he finished asking. What a shit awkward question to ask. Loki seemed to think so too judging by his expression when he finally turned around.

"It's going fine, I think. I'm passing all my classes and that's all that matters, I suppose."

"True. But what I meant was, like, how's school with everyone? I thought when starting a new school it takes a while to settle in and prove to everyone that you aren't some mad delinquent or something."

"You haven't ever changed schools I'm assuming," Loki said, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "It's not like in the movies where you move and you're an outcast. I mean, you sort of are, but not necessarily in a bad way. It's not the first time I've changed school so it wasn't as nerve-racking this time and I was already friends with Natasha which made it easier."

"Right," Tony replied absently.

Loki's words had reminded him of his long standing question. Why had Loki transferred schools from wherever he had been to here? He never brought it up and Tony always got the impression that he shouldn't ask. But he wanted to ask. Now wasn't the time though, because he had just parked up against the curb outside Loki's house.

"Thankyou for the lift," Loki said, opening the car door.

Just before he climbed out, he turned back to Tony and Tony could have sworn that he opened his mouth to say something else. He hesitated and suddenly looked shy or anxious, Tony couldn't tell which. In seconds the moment was gone, Loki shook his head then he got out, wished Tony a goodnight and was gone. It had all happened so quickly Tony wasn't even sure is the tiny hesitation had been real but, whether it was imagined or not, it still plagued his thoughts that night. What had Loki wanted to say? By the end of the night he wanted to hit his head against any surface he could find. Why did Loki have to be so damn intriguing?

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><p>The feeling of not having to get up early the next day was overwhelming. When Loki collapsed on his bed not long after getting out the car, he was reminded that he could sleep in late, that he wouldn't need to do school work until later. It was such a relief. Then his mind suddenly backtracked to when he had paused in Tony's car. He had no idea why he had done that. Well maybe he did, but telling Tony that he liked him at midnight after falling asleep on him to later have him drive him home didn't seem like the best circumstances. No. Not at all.<p>

Sleep came almost instantly and he enjoyed a dreamless sleep all the way through until the sun was glaring at him through the gap in his curtains. It was like the great ball of burning gas had been offended that he wasn't already awake which was why it now wouldn't leave him alone, shining directly in his eyes. Loki's not so good solution was to swear at the sun before rolling over, pulling a pillow over his face meaning he was once again surrounded by darkness.

After dozing for another hour or two, he reasoned with himself that he should probably get up. One reason was because his bladder was protesting and the other was his stomach growling every other second. Once he had visited the bathroom, he prepared himself a small breakfast of some toast which he took upstairs with him. No one was around to complain at him to not get crumbs anywhere.

When back safely inside his bed, Loki switched on his laptop and began to peruse the internet, absently chewing the toast sitting beside him. He picked up his phone from beside his bed and checked the volume, then he pressed shuffle on his music not bothering to see what was about to play. He wasn't in the mood for any particular artist so he left it up to his phone to make the choice for him.

_Can you blow my whistle baby, whistle baby, let me know _

_Girl I'm gunna show you how to do it and we start real slow_

_You just put your lips together and you come real close_

_Can you blow my whistle baby, whistle baby, here we go_

Loki stared at his phone in total shock. He had definitely not put that song on his phone. Thinking it was just coincidence or that he had accidently downloaded it, he changed the song.

_Hey lil' Porsche, I wanna try ya_

_Crazy baby girl, there ain't nothing like you_

_Hey lil' Porsche, so right I had to get ya_

_B-b-back it up, let's roll, roll, roll, roll_

He was at a loss. Where had this music come from and why was every song about sex? Again he changed the song, praying this time that his music would start playing instead of this other rubbish.

_Oh, I just wanna take you anywhere that you like_

_We could go out any day, any night _

_Baby I'll take you there, take you there_

_Baby I'll take you there, yeah_

This was getting ridiculous. One Direction. On his phone. He was adamant now that none of these had appeared because of him. So where had this music come from? Or rather who had put them on there? Becoming slightly desperate in his state of utter confusion he flicked through the rest of the songs, briefly listening to them. All of them were the same, either talking about getting with or doing it with someone else.

Clicking off the playlist Loki's question as to who had made the playlist was finally answered. Above all his other music was a playlist entitled _I Know You Want It (Tony Stark). _And now it seemed too obvious. Who else would steal someone else's phone just to add make a playlist full of lewd innuendos? Tony was the only person that came to mind. But there was still the question of why, and when, he did it? Well the when was actually quite simple to work out, Loki assumed he had done it while he himself had been asleep yesterday round his house. But why?

Loki knew what he would like to believe this meant but doubted very much that that was the truth. Tony wouldn't make a playlist all about sex and other things relating to that topic unless there was a meaning behind it, would he? He was an idiot sometimes. But a smart idiot. The playlist was called I Know You Want It (Tony Stark) which Loki took to mean that the 'it' referred to Tony and if he means that he knows...Tony knows that he likes him. Well shit.

If that were true though, would he have reacted like this? Most likely. He probably found it funny. Before he had really thought what he was doing through, Loki was opening up his contacts and pressing call on Tony's number. The line began to ring and Loki realised that he wasn't breathing nearly as much as he should be. Then suddenly the line went quiet and Tony spoke.

"_Hello?"_

"Hi Tony, it's ehh... it's Loki."

"_Oh hi, what's up?"_

"Uh not much I just wondered..." he began but his voice faded into nothingness when he heard someone else's voice in the background. Someone distinctly female. "Sorry is this a bad time?"

"_What? Pep, no it's just...a friend." _Tony's voice was more distant when he said that as though he was holding the phone away from his face. When he spoke again, though, it was back to normal. "_Bad time? Kinda yeah, I'm out with Pepper at the moment. Is what you wanted important?"_

"No, no it's fine. It doesn't matter; I'll leave you to it. Bye." He hung up the phone before Tony could say another word.

He felt so stupid. Tony was out with Pepper. Of course, how could he have forgotten about her, about Tony's ex, the one he'd been so upset about? Of course they would get back together. He'd been so stupid to think...to hope that perhaps maybe, just maybe, Tony would like him back.

The rest of the weekend he spent in varying degrees of misery, mostly lying on his bed pretending to sleep, or actually sleeping, or sitting up and doing homework. He received a text from Tony late on Saturday asking if everything was alright because he seemed weird on the phone but Loki didn't reply. He just deleted the text and turned his phone off, placing it beside his bed where he pretended that it didn't exist.

He could safely say that when Monday rolled around, he was feeling just as miserable as he had done the day before and he doubted anything would be changing that any time soon.

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><p>Monday came around quickly for Tony and before he knew it he was sitting during forth period with Clint, trying to work through their chemistry homework. Study periods were great to catch up on work, Tony had to agree on that, but today was a day that he just couldn't find the motivation to spend the time wisely. Instead, he and Clint had the periodic table open in front of them but weren't using it for the purpose it was made for.<p>

"Are you made of Copper and Tellurium because you are CuTe?" Clint said, winking at Tony beside him.

"Nah, too overused. How about, are you made from Barium and Beryllium because you're such a BaBe?" Tony replied.

"That was good but mines better, listen to this. Are you made of Arsenic and Sulphur because you have a nice AsS?"

"Yeah you're right, nothing can beat that," Tony conceded.

"I hope you aren't really going to use them on people," Bruce said, looking up from his own textbook.

"No I have enough natural charm that I don't need to resort to shitty chat up lines," Clint laughed.

A clearing of a throat from behind them caused them both to turn. It was Loki. At first Tony was surprised to see him there but then he remembered their very brief phone call. Hopefully he had come over to explain what the hell that had been about because Tony was at a loss.

"Sorry if I'm interrupting." He glanced down at their table seeing only blank pages where all their work should be. He raised an eyebrow. "I wondered if I could speak with you." He made sure to direct his words at Tony. The man, however didn't seem to get the idea until Loki added, "alone."

"Oh right, yeah. See you later Clint, don't miss me too much."

"I'll try but no promises," Clint replied, smirking at their backs as they walked away.

They walked in silence, Loki peering through classroom doors until he found one devoid of people. Slipping inside, he held the door open for Tony before shutting it behind them. Without looking at the other, he stepped up the teacher's desk and sat down on its clear surface, finally turning to face Tony.

"Why did you make that playlist on my phone?" Loki asked. He thought it best to just dive straight in. He'd been talking himself into confronting Tony all day and so postponing any longer would only make the whole ordeal worse.

"I don't know, it seemed like a funny thing to do at the time."

"Okay so why did you call it...what you called it?" Loki asked again, hesitating on whether to say the actual title or not.

"Look I don't know okay? But I have a question for you, is there anything that you want to tell me because I've been hearing things?"

Loki was starting to panic. Everything was going so terribly wrong. This was the backlash of liking someone and god he hated how much it hurt. There had been no meaning behind the playlist, no meaning behind anything. It had all been a joke that had stemmed from a rather wobbly friendship.

"I have nothing to say. All I wanted to know was that if there was something else meant by the music because I felt...I thought that there might have been." He finished the sentence very quietly, hoping Tony wouldn't hear.

"Like what?" Tony asked. He could see Loki panicking, practically breaking under all the questions. Tony was so close to getting him to reveal all. And wouldn't that be a weight off both their backs when he finally did.

"Damn it, it's always one step forward, two steps back with you," Loki said suddenly, his voice rising. "When I think that perhaps you might like me to you always-"

"Like you to?"

"What I meant was-." Loki stumbled desperately over his words.

"That you like me," Tony interrupted.

"No," Loki replied, pretending to laugh the comment off. "Of course not."

"So you would be totally cool if I went out with someone else, or went back out with Pepper."

Loki nodded, his throat very dry.

"You'd be okay knowing that we hug and kiss and you'd be fine if you saw us out doing normal couple things, knowing that later we would go back to mine and...do other stuff?"

"Yes," Loki said hoarsely, ignoring how his heart ached after Tony finished speaking.

"Fine, if you're gunna play hard to get," Tony muttered angrily to himself. "I suppose then, if you really don't like me at all, that your gunna hate it if I do this."

And then he was right in front of Loki, leaning forward, pressing his lips to Loki's in one fluid motion that caught them both completely by surprise. Loki's brain momentarily shut down at the first second of contact then immediately restarted sprinting from thought to thought leaving him at a total loss. He just continued to sit on the desk while Tony kissed him. Tony had kissed him. Tony was still kissing him.

His brain finally grounded on one thought and his body suddenly became his to control again. Instinctively he pulled Tony closer, running his hands over his hips and shoulders and up into his hair where he buried his fingers into the soft strands. Tony's own hands stroked up and down his back before settling on his hips, squeezing gently. It was over, though, before Loki could even properly enjoy it because a few seconds later Tony pulled back.

"Okay so I wasn't expecting that," He commented, meeting Loki's green eyes with his own dark brown ones.

"Just shut up for once," Loki said breathlessly, pulling him close into another kiss.

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><p><em>And there you have it... (Shout out to Hannah who helped on the chat up lines, that was a lunchtime well spent) Please review?!<em>

_If anyone was wondering, the full playlist that Tony made is below:_

_Whistle - Flo Rida_

_Hey Porsche - Nelly_

_Kiss You - One Direction_

_Trumpets - Jason Derulo_

_Kiss and Tell - You Me at Six_

_Joystick - Simon Curtis_

_Fever - Adam Lambert_

_Magic - One Direction _


	12. Chapter 12

_Though this chapter could be considered kind of dull, I really like it and it contains quite a bit of plot that will become important later. So without further ado, please read on..._

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><p><span>Chapter 12<span>

"What did you do?"

"What?" Tony asked, bewilderment clear in his tone.

Clint just grinned up at him, a knowing look on his face. After Tony had gone off with Loki and hadn't return before the end of the free period, he had texted him telling him to meet him in the library as he needed to find some books over lunch. Tony had finally appeared around ten minutes later, out of breath with his cheeks lightly flushed. He hadn't spoken a word to his friend, he barely even acknowledged him as he sat down on a chair opposite.

"Dude you've been gone for like half an hour and now you rock up looking all giggly and love struck and I am pretty sure just talking to Loki didn't do that so what else happened?"

It had always been a problem for Tony that he was terrible at lying to the people he knew so he didn't even attempt to try now. Sighing, he lowered his voice because, for one thing, they were in a library, and two, he didn't want anyone hearing this.

"Okay, okay so we may have kissed, but that's it."

"Did you kiss or _kiss_ because thirty minutes is a long time?"

"Look I'm not going to spell it out for you but yeah, we kissed as in _kissed_ kissed, would definitely give it a PG-13 rating."

"All I can really say is thank fuck for that, you two have been eye-fucking and pining for weeks now. I'm just glad the tension's finally broken. At least I won't have to put up with you moping all the time."

"Hey I don't mope," Tony snapped, but his tone was only a feeble attempt at actually defending himself. If he was honest, he would agree that he had been close to moping lately, though there was no reason for his friend to point it out.

Loki and Tony had spent the rest of their free period together doing things that weren't totally appropriate to do in a classroom. That is to say that they did only kiss but as Loki's tongue had worked its way down Tony's neck before he kissed and sucked all the way up his jaw to his ear, he had thought that if a teacher or another student had entered then, they would be in some serious shit right now.

The only problem was that they had hardly talked meaning they hadn't really voiced what was actually between them. Absently, Tony filed that away as an issue to address soon because, for now, he wanted to dwell on how soft Loki's lips were on his skin and how the other's breathing hitched as he had run his tongue along Loki's bottom lip. He remembered the way Loki's fingers had felt running through his hair, mimicking the movement with his own hand, trying to recreate the sensation. It was nothing, nothing even close to how the real thing felt.

"Yo, earth to Tony, the bell just rang. We need to get to class."

"Right okay," Tony replied, still lost in thought.

By the time he reached the classroom door, he had finally come back to himself enough to realise what lesson he had now. Psychology. The only class that he shared with Loki. Well this was definitely going to be interesting, he thought as he entered the room.

He took his usual seat at the back of the room where he was joined soon after by Bruce. They talked briefly over their homework while the room filled up around them. Loki entered a minute or two after accompanied by Natasha and Darcy. They sat in the only available seats which, to Tony's dismay, were two rows in front of his. No chance of speaking to him now. Not that his Psychology class was the right environment to have talks about their feelings anyway. He supposed that them sitting apart was actually a good thing. At least now he had a hope of actually concentrating on his teacher and learning something.

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><p>Once all the students were sat the class began almost instantly, their professor beginning by collecting in their homework and discussing the reading they were expected to have done. It became clear very quickly not everyone had and so they were then subjected to a lecture on the importance of homework and how they were all going to fail their exams unless they started putting in more effort.<p>

A folded piece of paper falling onto his book was what drew Loki's attention from his teacher, back to the world around him. Picking up the paper, he unfolded it gently in his lap and read the words scribbled across it.

_What happened during 4th?_

The neat italics on the page told Loki that it was Natasha who had written the note. He glanced over at her but she gave no sign of acknowledgement that she had in fact sent it.

_Who said anything happened? _Loki wrote back.

_Clint told me a vague idea of what Tony told him. So is it finally official now?_

Loki really really wanted to be angry at his friend for asking him that and he also really wanted to be angry at Tony and Clint, first at Tony for telling Clint what had happened and secondly for Clint blabbing to Natasha. Yet he just couldn't find it in him to care that much today. He jotted down a quick reply that they'd talk later, to which she nodded and pocketed the note.

For once they didn't actually have a meeting after school for their project so they were free to do whatever they liked after the bell rang. What was expected of them was to go home and study but for today Loki planned on going on a long walk with Natasha because it gave them a chance to catch up and allowed him to explain exactly what happened so that she didn't start to get the wrong idea about him and Tony.

They left school swiftly after the bell rang, setting off in the opposite direction to Loki's house. At first they followed the outskirts of the large playing field before disappearing up a much thinner, less trod path, which led uphill to a small wood. Settling down between the tall trees, they sat on a wooden bench and both let out long sighs.

"You've been getting pretty close to Clint lately. Is there something I should know?" Loki began, a teasing note in his voice.

"Maybe," Natasha said dismissively. She noticed Loki still staring at her knowingly and her shoulders drooped as she slumped in defeat. "Okay so it's a little bit more than maybe. We started talking more after I quit the part of Juliet and he seemed really pissed. I asked him about it but he didn't answer so we ended up talking about something else. We were brought closer by our continued meddling in yours and Tony's relationship." She heard Loki say 'what' indignantly but ignored him and continued. "And now here we are, possibly on the edge of an actual relationship."

"I'm so proud of you my dear Natasha, finally growing up," Loki cried dramatically, putting an arm around her shoulder and pulling her into a side hug. "Though that doesn't excuse your meddling."

"Hey you shouldn't be complaining now, not when you're so close to getting your man."

"He's not my man," Loki said, exasperated.

"Not yet," Natasha muttered, looking up at her friend and smiling sweetly. "You still haven't told me everything."

And so he did. He told her everything that happened although with a few details omitted because she really didn't need to know what Tony smelt like or what his lips tasted like. That would probably make him sound weird and Natasha would probably tell Clint or something and it could only be downhill from there. For the most part, Natasha kept quiet although she did make a huffing sound when Loki mentioned that when he phoned up Tony he said he was with Pepper.

"Why was he with her?"

"I don't know."

"Well did you ask?"

"No, that's his business. I don't want to seem like I'm prying and they haven't been together for almost two months now so..."

"Just bring it up casually some time, but if it helps I agree with you. He wouldn't have stuck his tongue down your throat if he didn't like you."

"Thanks Natasha," Loki replied sarcastically.

"You're welcome."

They wallowed away the next few hours with general chitchat then ended up going full circle as the topic of relationships was breached again. Of course it was Natasha who began it. Who else would it be?

"You're coming to Clint's party right? It's for Halloween; his parents are out of town so he's inviting the whole team round, everyone in our little project...besides Mr Logan of course."

"I think Tony mentioned it once or twice last week. Yes I suppose I'll go."

"Don't sound too enthusiastic."

Loki looked at her exasperatedly. "Last time I went to a party I ended up naked in some stranger's bed having no memory of how I got there."

"Calm down, calm down," Natasha said, quieting her friend after his slightly unnecessary outburst. Like she could forget what happened, he reminded her enough. "I'll keep closer eye this time, not let you drink so much. And, you never know, you might get into bed willingly this time and hopefully your memory will remain intact."

"I know what you're getting at and I've already told you. Tony and I haven't even spoken about what happened earlier so I doubt anything that major will be happening any time soon."

"Spoil sport," Natasha joked, nudging Loki's arm. "Come on we've been out for hours and I'm freezing."

Loki walked Natasha half of the way home ignoring her insistence that she would be fine. But after she threatened to break his legs if he didn't go home himself, he left her alone, walking back the way he had come. After closing his front door behind him, he caught the wonderful smell of dinner and followed it all the way into the kitchen to which he was met by his mother. She smiled at him, saying he was just in time and sure enough, just a second later, the oven beeped announcing that dinner was ready.

Taking his place at the dining room table, Loki wasn't surprised to find Thor already present, waiting expectantly for his food. Odin was not there yet but he knew that he would be along in a minute. Even he, in his bitter old age, could not say no to Frigga's excellent cooking. They all settled down and, in silence, started to eat. As for tradition though, the silence was soon broken by Frigga's kind voice.

"You've been going out an awful lot more recently, is there some secret friend we don't know about?"

"No mother," Loki replied politely. "I just went for a walk with Natasha after school...and we're just friends," he added firmly as she opened her mouth to speak. Lying to his mother may sound bad but really, who actually answers truthfully when asked if they like someone?

"Fine, fine, though if there was someone, girl or boy-" she sent Odin a sharp look as he coughed and choked at the mention that Loki would perhaps like someone of the male gender. "Don't be afraid to bring them round for dinner or something, I'd love to meet them. Thor's bringing his girlfriend round next week, what's her name again dear?"

"Jane," Thor said helpfully, swallowing his mouthful hard so he was able to talk. Loki looked at him with barely contained disgust at the display.

"Honestly, there is no one at this point, male or female, that I hold any interest for." He stared squarely at Odin as he said this, knowing how much it would bother him. Loki took pride in the way he could make him flush scarlet with anger and shake violently as he tried desperately hard to contain a shout.

It was no secret in their house that Loki had no preference for men or women, only going by who caught his attention no matter their anatomy. Most accepted this wholeheartedly, not having a problem with it at all but there was one, of course Odin, who did not. It wasn't that he was necessarily against the whole idea of same-sex relationships, more that he just didn't want to see or hear anything about them. He had all out banned Loki from having friends over for a certain period of time until Frigga had confronted him and forced him to see reason. Now he remained silent and watchful, totally ignoring the conversation if anything to do with Loki being with other men was brought up. But today he had had enough, they had gone too far and it was all because of his wife encouraging it.

"Frigga please, talk of something else," he implored.

She looked over the table to him, visibly rolling her eyes. "Okay then...how was your day?"

With that they fell back into their mundane routine much to Odin's delight. Not that he was very good at showing any form of joy on his withering face, Loki thought. Dinner was soon over and they were all excused, Loki hurrying off to his room to do his homework while Thor took a more leisurely walk up to his, not having found the motivation yet to crack on with his own mountain of work.

Once alone Frigga rounded on her husband. "Why must you always be this way, make Loki feel like he is not good enough or that he can't be himself?"

"The boy was fine, for once he actually made no complaint."

"That's not the point and do not refer to your son as 'the boy', his name is Loki and you should address him as such."

"Look, please calm down Frigga," Odin said, raising a placatory hand. "He knows my feelings on the matter as well as you do, he can do what he likes outside this house but when under this roof he can live by my rules. He can bring his...friends back if he wants but I just don't want him doing...doing other things in this house."

"What do you think he's going to do, have sex on the sofa with us in the room? Be reasonable. All I ask is that you are more accepting, don't make comments that could hurt or offend him and just be nice. Please. When the day comes that we decide to tell him about the adoption," her voice dropped in volume as she continued talking. "He most likely won't take it well so just please try to get along and treat him just the same as Thor. You may not agree with his life choices but you can at least accept that it's his life and it's something you can't control so don't try to."

"Bu...Yes dear," Odin conceded.

He didn't like the sudden mention of Loki's adoption cropping up in Frigga's argument. Now was definitely not a good time to tell his wife that Loki already knew and that he was keeping it a secret because he himself had made him agree to. No, this was definitely not the right time. Though he doubted there would ever be a right time.

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><p>Halloween arrived before they knew it and, for Tony, this was somewhat of a relief. He needed a break from all seriousness and school. He needed time and a place to clear his head so that perhaps he would find the courage to talk to Loki. Though a week or so had passed since they kissed, neither of them had dared breach the subject to the other. During meetings, they tiptoed around each other, often losing their way while speaking or else apologising profusely if they interrupted the other.<p>

They needed to sort this out and yes a party may not be the ideal location to do it, it could also turn out to be the best location. Just as long as he managed to avoid Pepper long enough so that she didn't catch on to what was happening. He was dreading the day she found out and not just because she's his ex. It was more that fact that Loki was in fact a male and she had been under the impression that Tony had been one hundred per cent straight up until now. So far he had avoided thinking about what his crush on Loki actually meant, he didn't care for labels. But he knew, if Pepper found out, she would question him nonstop and he just wasn't ready for that yet.

Another issue that plagued his mind as well as everyone else's was that their outfits wouldn't be up to par. No strict rules had been put on costumes, you could come as who or whatever you liked as long as you showed that you made an effort and didn't look like you do all the time. Most kept their ideas to themselves which annoyed Tony to no end seeing as he had no ideas himself. Clint was being unhelpful as ever, first suggesting he go as different fruits then moving on to more elaborate ideas. Tony finally told him to piss off when Clint said he had the best idea ever which turned out to be Tony going dressed as the Eiffel Tower.

Clint's own costume was a lot less detailed but still irritated Tony because, for being a genius, he had lost all imagination and vision. In the end, however, his outfit was fine (though not as cool as the Eiffel Tower would have been according to his Clint) and he turned up to his friend's house just as Bruce and Phil were strolling up the drive. They waited while he got out his car, accompanied by a collection of different drinks, all of which alcoholic, and spent the rest of the short walk up to Clint's door admiring each other's outfits.

With the help of his aunt and to the delight of his younger cousins, Bruce had come as a blue and green dinosaur. They had used papier-mâché to creation a hard outer shell with spikes and ridges that sat comfortably on his back. His face was painted in the same colours as his body and he wore a headband that had two horns attached.

"Seriously dude, that is so awesome I think I need your aunt's number." At Bruce's horrified look, Tony quickly tried to correct him. "Not like that...I mean to make me an outfit. Urgh, just never mind."

Phil's wasn't quite so impressive. He had gone simple and classic with the large white sheet and cut out eye and mouth holes that made him look like the perfect image of a childlike ghost. Still, Tony supposed that suited him perfectly.

As the rest of the party started arriving more complements were passed around along with drinks. Tony rolled his eyes and laughed outright when Jane and Thor came together in almost identical outfits. They had come as black cats and had even gone to the effort of drawing on whiskers and making ears. It was when Natasha arrived with Loki in tow that Tony was rendered speechless, only managing to pull himself together enough to mutter the words, "Holy shit."

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><p><em>The rest of the costumes will be revealed next chapter. I hope you enjoyed, please review?! :)<em>


	13. Chapter 13

_Everyone is really eager to know what Loki's outfit was and I just hope I don't disappoint. While choosing the outfits this imagine just came into my head and stuck and I thought it was kind of sexy so I hope you like it too, apologies if you think it sucks..._

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><p><span>Chapter 13<span>

There were no words, no words at all. How the hell could someone look that hot? How? It just wasn't humanly possible. But apparently it was possible for Loki, standing there in his costume that Tony couldn't take his eyes off. Well it wasn't just that, it was more how his body looked wearing the perfectly fitting suit jacket and trousers.

"Looks good doesn't he," Natasha smirked, stepping up to Loki's side and nudging him forward towards Tony.

"You could say that," Tony managed.

Natasha must have made a gesture to Clint because soon the others were shuffling out of their general area so they were left alone. Not that the others understood the real reason they were leaving, their only thoughts were of getting a drink from the extensive collection of bottles on Clint's kitchen counter.

"I like your outfit, you're Robin Hood right?" Loki asked, his voice soft. To Tony it sounded almost shy. That's impossible, Loki shy? Well there was a first time for everything.

"Yea-yes, yes I'm Robin Hood and you are-"

"A sailor, well a captain of a ship."

"-so fucking hot," Tony finished at the exact same moment that Loki spoke.

He fell silent immediately afterwards as Loki stared at him in apparent shock. Seriously, had this guy not looked in a mirror? Did he not know how amazing he looked? He had indeed come as a sailor, full with Jacket and cap. They were the richest royal blue and trimmed with a pure white material. His clothing fitted without a crease, the final details being the polished black shoes and the small smile playing on his pale lips. Tony had no idea why he found it so attractive but he did. Okay so maybe he liked men in uniform. Or perhaps just Loki? Now wasn't the time to work that out.

"See and here was me thinking you would be my Maid Marian."

"Sorry to have disappointed you."

"Disappointed? No!" Tony hurried to say. "This is better, much much better." He looked Loki up and down for the last time before settling his gaze on Loki's face. The other man stared back having just finished his own appreciation of the genius, not that Tony had noticed.

Silence fell between them as they continued to watch eachother. Neither of them was really sure of what to say. Really it should have been easy, they both should have just stepped up and said they like the other but apparently that was way too hard. They knew they liked eachother, hell they had proved that, and Tony had just spent the last five minutes trying to put into words how hot he found Loki. They weren't exactly being discreet. Yet when it came down to it and they were faced with actually talking about their feelings they froze up, unable to string two words together.

From a distance they heard the doorbell ring then it was opened and two more voices joined the din in the hallway and living room. One voice suddenly grew louder as it came closer. The door to which Loki and Tony had somewhat been hidden behind was thrown open and Pepper stood there, stopping when she saw them both.

"Oh sorry, I didn't realise you were there," She smiled, intentionally not making eye contact with Tony. "Everyone's here now and I think they want to see your outfits."

"Okay we will be there in a minute," Loki said, replying with a smile of his own.

Pepper took one last long lingering look at them both before exiting, pulling up the door behind her. She had no idea what was going on between the two but even she could feel that the tension in there was so thick it could have been cut with a knife.

"We should go," he then said, talking this time to Tony.

"Yeah, wait Loki look..." Tony rushed to say because Loki had turned, ready to leave.

The black haired man turned back to him, a blank expression on his slightly too perfect face. "Tony it really doesn't matter, you don't need to say anything." And the look that crossed his face for a second was that of hurt and Tony felt horrible.

"No it does, I just don't know how-"

He was interrupted by Clint bursting through the door, grabbing them both by the arm and practically dragging them out and into the living room where they joined the rest of the party. And so it began, the really enjoyable evening that Tony couldn't totally enjoy because of the weight now pressing down on his chest. Had he just messed this up? Had that been his chance to tell Loki and he had just blown it? He really hoped not.

Everyone was wowed by their outfits upon their entrance, just as they themselves were wowed by everyone else's. As a group, they had all most definitely put in enough effort. The favourite was still probably Bruce but Tony was a big fan of Darcy's rendition of Lara Croft's famous outfit. Steve came as Spok from Star Trek complete with a black wig that had been lovingly cut and styled by his mother. Clint had come as Russell Crowe's Gladiator after explaining that Natasha wouldn't go as his Bond girl so he had to scrap the James Bond idea. Natasha herself came as a bat, wearing a skin-tight black catsuit and having made wings that actually rose as she lifted her arms. Pepper came as Ariel from The Little Mermaid while Maria unfortunately couldn't come because of some family commitment that she begrudgingly couldn't get out of.

The first hour or so of the party was rather slow and uneventful, the music was played loud and the drinks were passed round without much restraint. Soon the alcohol started to work its magic and things were really starting to pick up. But only when Clint demanded that they play spin the bottle did things really start to get interesting.

Everyone joined in the game, gathering in the living room, either taking up a seat on the sofas and chairs or else spreading out over the floor leaving a clear space in the middle where the bottle could be spun. It wasn't a perfect circle they had formed but it would do for what they required. They were all at varying states of drunkenness; some were already ready to drop while others were only just starting to feel their senses dulling.

"So what are we actually playing?" Steve asked. He hadn't been the most willing to join in but, not one to be a killjoy, he had agreed to play anyway.

"Dunno, just spin the bottle, it lands on a person and we'll decide from there. Could get seven minutes in heaven, a dare that involves two people, whatever the rest of us choose. Isn't much point in doing truths, all anyone ever asks is who the person has a crush on and I think most people already know that," Clint said, staring pointedly at Tony who turned away, pretending not to have seen or heard.

"Alright enough chat, I'm spinning it first and also, every new round you have to take a drink of something because a few of you are still way too sober." Natasha, who had spoken, was definitely not one of those people. Her cheeks were flushed pink from drinking and also probably from warmth seeing as her outfit was skin-tight and didn't leave much room for breathing.

So the game began and Natasha was made to kiss whoever the bottle pointed at and that was Bruce. It was over very quickly with minimal embarrassment then the game continued on. They went round clockwise, each person taking their turn before moving on. Some of the things people were made to do ranged from the normal things like kissing or licking random parts of a person's body to being stripped of most clothing and running up and down the street. (Clint was subjected to that fate when it finally came round to his go).

When it was Loki's turn, he spun the bottle and it landed on Thor, everyone agreed it was highly inappropriate for the two to do anything remotely sexual together and so he was made to spin again, this time landing on Pepper. It was decided by Jane that they had to French kiss for one minute. It was strange that in that moment five members of the circle were totally freaked out and yet the others didn't notice a thing.

Obviously Tony was bothered because he liked Loki and he really didn't want to see him make out with his ex, Pepper also being his ex made it slightly weirder. Loki was hesitant because he liked Tony and didn't want to seem like he didn't but he also didn't want to draw attention to the fact that he was hesitant about the kiss because then people would start to ask questions. Darcy, Clint and Natasha all looked alarmed as they knew there was something between Loki and Tony that they really supported and didn't want this moment to mess it up.

After Loki glanced at Tony briefly and received a nod and a small smile, he conceded, knowing that that was Tony's way of saying that it was okay. To Loki's surprise the minute was over very quickly and Darcy was spinning the bottle before anyone could make any comment, except for Pepper who said, "Wow Loki you're really good at that, how the hell are you single? Anyone would be lucky to have you." To which everyone laughed, though the five previously mentioned laughs were a lot more forced. Loki just smiled at her and nodded his thanks.

On Darcy's spin the bottle landed on Steve.

"Seven minutes in heaven," Clint cried, as soon as it spun to a halt.

The look of alarm that crossed his face was almost laughable, but then everyone was surprised to see a blush on Darcy's cheeks as she looked at the man. Everyone exchanged glances and gave them a second to ready themselves.

"So where do you wanna go? There's a large cupboard by the front door or you can use the bathroom, or my bedroom. It's your choice."

"The bedroom," Darcy answered for them both.

She stood up and took Steve's hand, leading him off upstairs to Clint's bedroom. Once they heard the door shut, he shouted up to them that their time had started. Natasha set up a timer on her phone so it would buzz when the time was up.

While they waited they all just sat down staring at eachother. Loki kept his eyes firmly fixed on Tony's face, praying the other would look at him. He was tired now of this beating around the bush, he wanted this over with, whatever was between them, he wanted it spoken aloud. Unfortunately, Tony seemed intent on not meeting his eye.

"We can't just sit here in silence while we wait. I'm gunna ask some random questions and you've gotta answer them truthfully," Clint said. No one was opposed to the idea and so he began to think. "Right okay, have any of you ever skinny dipped?"

"Hey you have to answer as well," Jane insisted. "But in answer, no I haven't."

Most of them shared the same answer of no except two which of course were Loki and Tony. No one seemed too surprised by Tony while they all stared wide eyed at Loki.

"Loki," Thor mouthed. "I can't believe you, why did you never tell me? And when, when did you?"

"It's not really something you can just bring up at dinner Thor," Loki replied, looking quite pleased with himself that he caused such a reaction. "And it was while I was in London."

"Well I wasn't expecting that. Okay next question, what is the stupidest thing you've done of your own free-will?"

Many of them didn't have much to comment that was very interesting. Clint's own was that he had thrown his TV remote at his TV because the show he was watching was pissing him off, the remote cracked the screen and his parents made him save up and buy a new one.

"Making friends with Loki was the stupidest thing I ever did," Natasha joked, passing round a bottle of alcohol which they all drank from.

"Hey," Loki whined, though he knew she wasn't serious. "I'm a great friend. Well, mine would be starting a fight that got me expelled from school."

Again everyone stared at him incredulously, though Tony and Clint were the only ones who actually seemed impressed. Natasha just rolled her eyes.

"Hey Thor how come you never told us your brother was such a badass?"

"I wasn't aware that he was," Thor slurred, at this point having consumed much more alcohol than the others. He was reaching a level of intoxication where he couldn't properly hold his head up anymore and so compromised by slumping back into the sofa cushions. At least now he wouldn't have to support his own weight anymore.

"So why'd you start the fight?" Clint asked and suddenly Loki looked very uncomfortable. He fidgeted from side to side and finished off his own drink just so that he had something to do.

Luckily he was saved from answering by Natasha's phone ringing loudly, announcing that the seven minutes were up. She got up and called up to Darcy and Steve that they could come down. To all of their surprise it took them another full minute to grace the others with their presence and when they finally did they both had scarlet cheeks and their lips were definitely swollen and a darker shade of pink than before. Their outfits looked slightly ruffled aswell and this was probably the added detail that distracted the others enough so that they didn't press Loki anymore for an answer. It also gave him the perfect opportunity to escape away from the group and into the kitchen.

Noticing the quick exit, Tony followed him out. "You okay?" he asked, pouring a glass of water for himself after Loki had finished collecting his own.

"I'm fine, and yourself, are you having fun?"

"Of course I am, alcohol, friends and seeing you all dressed up. It's like a dream come true."

Loki couldn't help but laugh, although he couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not. The sound soon died away and they were left in a slightly uncomfortable silence. Neither knew what to say or how to begin ever though they had both been thinking about it all night. Just as Loki made to open his mouth to speak, Tony did the same.

"Oh sorry, you go first," Tony quickly apologised.

"No it's fine, you go," Loki replied.

"For crying out loud you two I'm so tired of your shit." They both whipped around at the sound of Natasha's voice, neither of them having noticed that she had been standing in the doorway. "Right, you two come back in there, we're going to play spin the bottle and by sheer _coincidence_ you two will be put together in seven minutes in heaven. I'm going to lock you in the cupboard over there and you two are going to sort this out. Understood?"

Both of them nodded, unable to speak and slightly too scared to because she looked ready to punch either of them if they disagreed or even uttered a word. Sharing one final fleeting look, they followed her without complaint.

"So whose turn is it now?" She asked loudly so that everyone in the room heard. Steve was still bright red; Darcy looked shyer than anyone had ever seen her while Clint was looking far too gleeful.

None of them knew so Tony volunteered himself, saying that he hadn't actually got to do anything cool yet.

"Who else hasn't really done much?" Natasha asked.

It was Clint who spoke next. "Loki hasn't."

"Wait, don't we need to spin the bottle? I don't want to be volunteered," Loki argued, though Tony and Natasha knew that it was fake. It had been by a very lucky coincidence that Clint had said his name in the first place.

"Nope. You two-," She demanded, pointing at them both in turn. "In the cupboard now, seven minutes in heaven."

Everyone went silent at that but then Clint let out a loud whoop and ushered them both inside, laughing manically the whole time. By the time the door of the cupboard had been locked behind them they could hear everyone else laughing as well, though they were only joining in because Clint's laughter was so infectious. They actually had no idea what was really going on and just assumed Tony and Loki would stand talking or something for the time instead of doing 'other stuff'.

As soon as the door was closed they were plunged into darkness. Clint had been right, the cupboard was quite spacious which allowed the two to have some space between them while they stood awkwardly facing each other. There were bonuses, though, of being in a dark cupboard. It was far easier to speak freely when you couldn't see the others expression. Unfortunately it still took them another minute or two to speak meaning their time alone together had already been dramatically decreased.

"Okay fine I'll start," Tony finally said, unable to stand the silence anymore. "So even though I think it's pretty obvious, but I feel as though I have to spell it out for you so you actually believe me, I like you, like really like you. I've never really told anyone that before so feel special but that also means I have no idea what to do now."

"See, it's good because I know exactly what to do now," Loki's soft voice said through the darkness. "I'm sure it's also pretty obvious that I like you too and would really like to spend more time with you away from certain other people." Tony knew he was referring to Natasha and Clint and couldn't help but chuckle. "If that's okay with you?"

"That is more than okay," Tony replied, a smile stretching wide on his face, not that Loki, or anyone else, could see.

Again silence settled around them, now devoid of most of the tension.

"I think the seven minutes are almost up," Loki commented, staring around the cupboard as though he could actually see its contents.

"Good, I'm not a big fan of being locked up in cupboards."

"Not even with me?" Loki asked, a teasing note in his voice.

"I can think of better places to be with you, you know, places with lights where I can actually see you and not have to guess where your face is."

The black haired man laughed at that, then laughed harder finally taking in the ludicrous situation they were in. "I can't believe we are locked in here, dressed up in silly outfits, talking about our feelings while our friends wait outside trying to work out if their plan was successful."

"When you put it like that it does sound quite stupid." Then a thought struck him. "Wait, shit, you said the time was almost up? Well I have two things to do before we leave and now I have a lot less time to do them in."

"What do you need to do?" Loki asked.

"First of all, do you wanna go out and get coffee or something tomorrow seeing as it's now-" There was a brief flash of light where he checked the time on his phone. "Half twelve and so you'll be able to have a goodnights sleep before hand and be able to look all pretty. I know it's lame but..."

"It's not lame, I like coffee and your okay too so it's a win win situation," Loki joked, to which Tony rolled his eyes but couldn't stop a small chuckle escaping him. "Sorry, what was the second thing?"

Suddenly Tony became slightly more hesitant. This change was picked up immediately by Loki even through the almost pitch black that separated them and made in damn near impossible to see.

"Oh yeah, the second thing. Well...ever since we, you know, basically made out in that classroom, I can't really stop thinking about it and god, I really wanna do it again-"

That was all the invitation Loki needed. Before Tony could even finish his last word, the others' lips were upon his and his mind went completely and brilliantly blank. Unfortunately, it just so happened that as Loki opened his mouth wider to deepen the kiss that Clint chose that moment to hammer loudly on the door announcing that their seven minutes were up. They reluctantly broke apart in time to have the door opened and be blinded by the light, having grown accustomed to the darkness.

"Everything okay?" Clint said, smirking knowingly at them.

"Fine thanks," Tony replied pushing him out the way so they could leave.

And that was the truth, everything was fine. For once things were going right. It didn't feel rushed, neither felt uncomfortable and both were willing to take further steps into what could soon be described as a relationship. This was the tipping point. Everything so far had led up to this moment, all the shared looks and stolen glances, the small brushes of hands and accidental touches. Every action, both large and small, had contributed to where they were now. One accidental drunken night had begun this and now here they were ready and willing to fall over the edge.

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><p><em>Very quickly, this story is passing around its halfway mark give or take a chapter just so you know. Also th<em>_ere will be a link on my profile to some outfit references that I used if you want to check that out. For now farewell, please review?! :)_


	14. Chapter 14

_I want to apologise for how long this chapter has taken me, there's been a lot of stuff going on at the moment both very personal and otherwise but that is no excuse. I will try and get these chapters out quicker but there is no guarantee though I can promise I will never abandon a story no matter how long it takes me to write each chapter!_

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><p><span>Chapter 14<span>

After getting home late the next morning, because they had all decided to crash at Clint's, Loki went straight to bed, not having got much sleep. During the process of falling asleep though, he was bombarded with thought after thought from the night before, all of which concerning Tony. Obviously they kept quite what was shared between them in the cupboard, not wanting to have caused a riot or something and they had had enough of seeing the smug expressions on both Clint's and Natasha's faces lately to give them any more reason to brag. But they still managed to steal odd moments just for them like lingering brushes of their hands, or sitting closer than was probably necessary when they all tried to squeeze on Clint's two sofas.

As the memories came back Loki couldn't help but grin. Finally something was going well. Finally things looked like they would be okay. Tony liked him. Life was good. With that repeating in his head, sleep took him into its welcoming embrace and carried him off to a carefree land. By the time he woke up, the sun was once again making its slow decent below the horizon and he realised he had slept all day.

Groaning while he sat up, he stretched each of his limbs accordingly feeling the joints pop and crack as they got used to being moved again. He headed downstairs to the kitchen where he found leftover pasta from dinner (courtesy of Frigga who had probably had to wrestle it away from Thor so he didn't eat the lot) and put it into the microwave, heating it for a few minutes before settling at the table. He ate slowly, spearing the shells up by one each time, placing them in his mouth, chewing then swallowing. Though it may appear to others that he was terribly bored by the process the pasta actually tasted amazing and he eagerly awaited the next mouthful. He just lacked the energy to speed the process up and, after all, he preferred to savour his food.

"Did you have fun last night? I would have asked earlier but you went straight to bed," Frigga asked, appearing in the doorway. She had probably heard the noise in the kitchen and wondered who it was.

"Yeah, I enjoyed it, particularly seeing everyone in their ridiculous costumes."

"I'm sure they weren't that bad," his mother laughed. "Yours was nice."

He nodded his thanks, continuing to eat. They talked for a little while longer, mostly about school work and other mundane topics but Loki still enjoyed it. It was nice to have someone take an interest in him so he always seized the opportunities when they arose seeing as he didn't know when they would happen again. Frigga was the only one who ever asked questions or tried to converse with him past small talk, no one else made the effort.

When he finally made the long journey back upstairs to his bed, he collapsed on the cover thinking that perhaps it wasn't the time to get more sleep. Pulling up his laptop from under his bed, he opened the screen and switched it on. At the same moment his phone buzzed, the display lighting up announcing he had a message.

_Pick you up at 12 for coffee? _

He had almost completely forgotten that he and Tony actually had a date planned for the next day, not that either of them would admit to it being called that. They were very difficult people. And this point was only proved further when you realised it has taken them two months to admit they even have a crush on eachother.

_Perfect, I look forward to it_ was Loki's reply.

He didn't want to say anymore because he didn't want to seem too eager or desperate, however he didn't want to just reply with okay or something along those lines because that was blunt and showed little emotion. At least Tony now knew that he was the right amount of excited and not verging on ecstatic or crazy.

Not too long later Loki fell back asleep and woke up early the next morning feeling surprisingly rested. Until, that is, he remembered his rather important date with Tony. Stumbling out of bed he threw himself into the bathroom to begin getting ready. This could take a long time.

By the time that twelve rolled around Loki had showered twice, restyled his hair half a dozen times and changed clothes a near ten times. He ran down stairs just before the clock struck twelve, finding one of his many jackets in the coat closet by his front door.

"You seem pretty nervous for just meeting up with a friend, are you sure it's only platonic?"

Loki jumped at the sound of his mother's voice having not noticed that she was standing behind him. He turned to look at her, noticing the look of amusement on her face.

"I am certain mother."

"Really? Well for one thing you didn't look me in the eye when you said that and from what I've been told, that is a clear sign that someone isn't telling the truth. Another thing, I just passed by your door while you were getting ready and could have sworn you changed clothes far more times than necessary during which time you used a lot of colourful language which, for today, I will choose to ignore, though I hope to never hear you use those words within my hearing range again."

At least Loki had the decency to look slightly sheepish. He didn't like lying to his mother but seeing as she knew he was lying it didn't really make him feel as bad as he probably should. Luckily his phone buzzing saved him from actually having to form a reply. The text was very quick, only announcing that Tony was outside. Loki sent off a quick reply saying that he would be there in a second. Instead of leaving the house though, he continued to stand in his hallway.

"Don't you need to leave?" Frigga asked, raising an eyebrow at her son.

"In a minute...I'm just ehh...getting ready."

"Right," she nodded, trying to stop the laughter bubbling inside her as she just watched Loki stand still. "You really seem like you have a lot to still get ready."

"Okay, I'm ready. See you later," Loki called over his shoulder, finally breaking out of his reverie and heading for the front door.

Just as his hand was turning the door handle he heard Frigga say goodbye. "I hope you have fun with your _friend_."

Even though Loki was terribly distracted by the thought that he was actually about to go out with Tony, he still picked up on his mothers tone. He knew he hadn't fooled her in the slightest, she knew exactly what he was doing but luckily she respected his privacy enough to allow him to reveal it in his own time. Still, as he closed the door behind a chuckling Frigga, he was pretty sure he had just made a twat of himself.

As he approached Tony's car the nerves increased tenfold until he worried that the butterflies in his stomach were real and about to fly up his throat and escape out through his mouth. It was incredibly unfair that when he laid eyes on Tony the man had an easy smile on his face, looking totally relaxed in his leather seat. When he saw Loki his smile grew wider and he reached across the passenger seat to open the door for him.

"Good morning," Loki greeted, attempting to appear much calmer than he felt. His heart was still beating a mile a minute.

"I'm not quite sure it's morning anymore Sunshine, but never mind," Tony replied cheerily.

"Oh right, well, hello anyway," Loki said, slightly embarrassed.

"Hi...you ready to go?"

The black haired man nodded and then they were pulling away from the curb ready to join the rest of the traffic following the route slowly into town. As the car hummed along Loki relaxed quickly and fell into easy conversation with Tony.

* * *

><p>His fingers drummed agitatedly against the wheel as he watched him approach the car. Stealing himself one large deep breath, he fixed a smile and opened the door for Loki. Despite his nerves he couldn't help but marvel at the wonder that was Loki. The man beside him always managed to look so good no matter what he wore and it was exceptionally unfair. How had Tony never noticed how attractive men could be earlier?<p>

They started with short greetings which carried them through into a conversation. By the time they reached the place they were to have coffee, Tony was totally at ease and was wondering why he had even been freaking out in the first place.

After ordering drinks, both black coffees though Loki added two sugars to his, they took seats at a table in the corner where the chairs were comfier and they were far less likely to be disturbed. Tony had insisted upon paying which irritated Loki but he was consoled when Tony said that he could pay next time. The idea of repaying the debt was good but the thing that made Loki smile the most was that Tony had said there would be a next time. They had barely even started their date and yet he was already planning their next. It was a good day.

"So I think we should get all the cliché things out the way first."

"Like what things?" Loki asked, lightly blowing on his drink to cool it.

"Twenty questions, learn as much as we can of the basic stuff, likes, dislikes, hobbies, weird shit we're into. That kind of stuff."

He laughed at that. "I'm not sure about the weird shit but yeah the rest sounds good."

"Alight then," Tony said, shifting in his seat to get more comfortable. "First off favourite colour?"

"Green probably, but I also like gold and silver. You?"

"Very exotic," Tony commented. "Mine's red and I like gold too."

"It's like we're meant to be," Loki said quietly as a joke not meaning for it to be heard. A burst of laughter from across the table followed his words and he couldn't help but chuckle along.

It was just so easy to talk, to carry on the conversation no matter how mundane it was asking for basic information. Neither of them complained once. Both had had doubts about how comfortable they would be together but there was no awkwardness between them. The hours passed, another order of drinks got in, and they were still talking.

They'd covered favourite foods, drinks and animals, what superpower they would want, their plans for the future. Everything basic was covered by the time that Tony checked the time and they realised they had been sitting in the coffee shop for almost three hours.

"Perhaps we should leave," Loki suggested after he saw the time. "We could just walk around for a while or something?"

"Sounds good," Tony agreed.

They left promptly, entering out into the weak November sunlight and both doing up their jackets to help stop the cold. They walked aimlessly, not really caring where they went, once again deep in conversation. It was nice to be away from school or their friends for a change. It was far easier to be together and talk properly when you didn't have Clint, Natasha and now, apparently, Darcy breathing down your neck.

"So I've had a question for a while now but I've never really felt like the right opportunity has ever presented itself for me to ask. Now, though, I feel that this is a good time."

"What's your question?" Loki asked, having absolutely no idea what to expect.

"You know the night of my party where we both got really pissed and ended up in bed together?"

"I am familiar with it, yes."

"Well we both know why I drank myself into oblivion, it was because of Pepper, but you've never said why you did? At first I thought he maybe just really like alcohol but now I'm not so sure."

"Oh," Loki mouthed, unable to form any other words at present. Composing himself, he continued, trying to lighten the situation after the brief awkwardness that occurred, "oh right, well basically it was because I was really angry and getting so drunk that I couldn't remember my name seemed like a good idea at the time."

Tony looked as though he wanted to ask why he was so angry but Loki's expression told him that it wasn't the right time. Instead he said, "See if we had been just a little more sober we could have had really hot angry sex...and remembered it."

For a second they just stared at each other, not talking. Then both of their expression cracked and they dissolved into fits of laughter. The joke really hadn't been that funny but they just kept on laughing. Perhaps it was because of Tony's tone that had sounded dead serious. When the laughter turned silent and died away completely, they were both taking large breaths to calm their breathing and wiping tears from their eyes.

"M-maybe we should be heading back," Loki said at last.

"Yeah I think my balls are starting to freeze," Tony replied, earning him an incredulous look.

"Gosh you're so charming, I don't even know how I resisted you for so long," Loki said, very sarcastically.

"It's called denial," Tony supplied helpfully, unlocking the car and opening Loki's door before going round to get in on the driver's side.

The drive back was quick despite the traffic and, in what felt like seconds, the car was stopping on the curb by Loki's house. When the engine was turned off, all that remained was silence. It was neither as inviting or as comfortable as it had been earlier yet neither of them had any idea of what to say. In the end it was Loki who stepped up, deciding to play it safe.

"Thankyou for the coffee," he said, loving the way Tony's mouth curved up slightly into a half smile. "We really should do this again...soon."

"I look forward to it."

Silence fell again as they stared at each other. Nothing moved inside the car except the rise and fall of their chests as they took each breath. At this point Tony was very aware of Loki's eyes boring into his. He felt slightly exposed and vulnerable but in a good way. He didn't feel nervous, more excited. He was also very aware of the way Loki occasionally licked his lips. He doubted it was deliberate, probably just out of habit, but it was still very distracting. Tony really wanted to see what else that tongue could do.

While both were lost in thoughts that revolved around the same topic, they were oblivious to the fact that they were moving closer, millimetre by millimetre, until they were only a few centimetres apart. Their brains suddenly clicked into motion and the anticipation mounted as they closed the gap between them. Just as their lips were about to brush, however, there was a loud ringing sound and they both jumped apart.

It took a moment to figure out what the noise was. Then Loki pulled his phone from his pocket and let out an extremely frustrated sigh that had a few curses mixed in as well.

"I'm sorry, I forgot to put it on silent," he gabbled, hurrying to decline the call. He really didn't want to speak to Natasha right now, not after what she had just unintentionally interrupted. It may have been by accident but he would still blame her.

"No, it's cool. I just-"

"I should probably go," Loki said, accidently talking over Tony.

"-Uh yeah..."

They stared at each other once again before Loki leant in quickly, pressed a short kiss to the corner of Tony's mouth then exited without a backwards glance. Only when he reached his front door did he think to look back. He met Tony's eye one last time and smiled, turning once again to unlock his door. As he closed it behind him he heard the sound of Tony's engine revving into life. When he looked back for the second time, he saw the car disappearing round the corner.

"Where have you been brother? Was that not Tony Stark's car?"

Damn it Thor. Could he not have one second's peace before he was bombarded with questions?

"I went out and yes that was Tony's car," he said curtly.

He attempted to walk past Thor and escape upstairs but the huge blonde insisted upon accompanying him.

"You were out together? I didn't know you were such close friends."

"Well apparently we are," Loki grumbled, his exasperation increasing with every step. "All we did was get coffee."

From behind his back Thor had an odd expression on his face. The longer he thought, the more he started to make sense of the situation and more and more, another possibility presented itself. Unfortunately, Loki had his back resolutely turned to his brother meaning he didn't witness Thor putting two and two together. The blonde really wasn't as stupid, nor as oblivious, as most people assumed.

As Thor said goodbye to Loki as the other's bedroom door closed, he smiled to himself. Maybe, just maybe. If this were true, if what he thought was true, then hopefully it would work out well. This could be a very good thing.

* * *

><p>Safely shut away in his room, or rather safely shut away from Thor, Loki phoned Natasha back. She answered on the first ring, obviously having anticipated his call.<p>

"Why did you-" She began but was cut off by Loki's loud cry of, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I'm sorry?" She asked, perplexed by his tone. "I was just calling to ask how your date went."

After he and Tony had agreed to meet, Loki had texted Natasha. She was his best friend after all and it was kind of because of all her meddling that they had reached the point of going out together anyway.

"It was going really well until your call interrupted."

"What? You were still out with him? I called then because I thought you would have been home for ages ."

"No, we spent like all afternoon together and just as he dropped me off at my house we were about to, you know, kiss or something and your call interrupted it!" He cried, his voice rising then lowering in volume very quickly. He really didn't want any of his family members listening in or asking questions as to why he was shouting.

"Oh shit I'm sorry but I didn't realise you were going to be out so long." A muffled _it's okay_ from Loki followed her words. He sounded pretty miserable. "Look on the bright side, apart from my impeccable timing, you had a good time?"

"Yeah, I did and I think he did as well."

"He did," a familiar voice called through the line, the words coming through more quietly because he was far away.

"Sorry that was Clint, he's listening to everything we say. I hope that's cool," Natasha said and Loki could hear the fond smile that was very likely plastered on her face right then. Their relationship, that is to say hers and Clint's, had really grown quickly. It was rather sweet actually. "Look if you wanna talk to Loki why don't you just ask," she said, this time speaking to Clint.

There was a crackling sound, some silence and then Clint's voice again, this time coming clearly down the line. "Hey dude, yeah all I wanted to say was Tony just text me and he said everything was great, he enjoyed himself, he really likes you yadda yadda yadda, you get the point. Alright Nat you can have the phone back now."

Again the noises came until they were stopped by Natasha's voice. "See no need for making out when you have a first successful date under your belt. Now all you need to do is prepare for the second."

"Right, yeah, I'll do that. But for now I'm gunna go-"

"What? Go cry into your pillow at the wonder that is Tony Stark?"

"No, no and no. God just get back to your boyfriend 'Tasha while I'll go find the courage to actually ask Tony to be mine."

The beginnings of Natasha awwing him and telling him how cute he was was enough to convince him to hang up. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk to her, but for one thing she was busy somewhere with Clint and he didn't want to interrupt and secondly, it was true, he actually did need to find the courage to ask out Tony properly. The thought of calling him his boyfriend welled up inside him and filled him with a warm mix of comfort and excitement.

For today the worrying about asking could wait. Instead he would much rather lie down and think about the very successful date that he had just had.

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><p><em>Hope you enjoyed, please review?! :)<em>


	15. Chapter 15

_Apologies for the shortness. Important notes at the end. _

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><p><span>Chapter 15<span>

Tony walked up his drive after dropping Loki off from their third date. Third date? That sounded weird but it was undeniably true. A very successful third date if he might add. It was probably safe to say they were dating properly now even though neither of them had actually spoken out loud their question of asking whether the other will be their boyfriend. Ah well, Tony thought, the moment would present itself soon he was sure.

His stomach rumbled violently as he closed the front door, and he knew it was time to eat. He walked into the kitchen to find Rhodey sitting at the kitchen island stirring a cup of coffee and enjoying cheese on toast.

"There's more bread over there if you want one," he said, noting how Tony was eyeing his plate.

Some clattering followed his words and soon the kitchen was filled once again with the aroma of toast and heated cheese. It was truly divine. He took it off the grill just as the yellow solid was starting to run off the crusts and the bread was well and truly toasted. Using the spatula that had been left on the side, Tony manoeuvred the toast onto his plate then sliced them both in half so that four large triangles of perfect cheese on toast sat cooling on his plate. Very much impressed with his cooking skills, he took a seat opposite Rhodey at the kitchen island and began to eat.

It was only when he was half way through his second triangle that he noticed his guardian watching him from across the recently cleaned surface. At first he ignored the look, thinking it was just coincidence seeing as, as soon as he had met Rhodey's eye, the other had quickly dropped his gaze back to his own plate.

"Okay seriously what is it?" Tony demanded, finally letting his lack of knowledge get to him enough to strike a nerve. Rhodey looked like he was hiding something, something to do with himself he was guessing. He wanted to know what that was. "Is there something on my face?" He wiped his face for emphasis, noting that a few crumbs did actually fall from his lips.

"Nothing, why do you think there's something up?"

"Because you keep staring at me all warily as though you're trying to work out some really difficult algebra or something. Do you think by staring at my face the answer is just going to pop out of my brain?"

"No, surprisingly I have better things to do than work out algebra that you could solve in a couple of seconds."

"Then what' up?"

Rhodey sighed quietly and rolled his eyes. Teenagers could be so demanding, no matter how close they were to being an adult. "You've been going out a lot lately."

It wasn't a question but it felt like one. Tony felt a sudden strong need to defend himself. Instead he just played it cool. He was good at that, especially at school when people asked where he had got the strange marks on his neck from. He always had some excuse ready so as not to let slip they were actually made by Loki sucking and kissing his neck though he supposed it would be more fun to tell the truth once, just to see the persons curious demeanour turn into one of utter incredulity (with probably a hint of horror).

"Does it come as a surprise that the famous teenage billionaire has friends and a social life?"

"Ha bloody ha," Rhodey replied dryly. "I meant more than usual and you keep checking your phone...a lot," he added when the telltale sound of Tony's phone going off echoed from the direction of his pocket.

Okay, not the best timing Loki, Tony thought, checking the text, smirking slightly then sending off a brief yet adequate reply. When he looked back up Rhodey was staring at him with a knowing expression plastered on his face.

"It was just a friend," he muttered evasively, taking a bite from his almost cold toast just so that he had something to do. He felt like he was under a spotlight and, surprisingly, it didn't feel that good.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say you are dating someone."

"It's a good job you don't know better then."

Rhodey's unimpressed glance did nothing to rock Tony's perfectly composed calm. "So you're telling me nothing is going on? Not even with Pepper? You did go out with her about two weeks ago?"

So he was the second person to ask that. Loki, having finally worked up the courage due to Natasha's prompts, had asked him not a few days before why they had been out together. He having found out because that was the day that Loki had called him up, acting rather strangely. Tony had successfully put his wonderings to rest by reassuring him that the only reason he had actually gone out with the girl was to be polite and the whole point of the meeting had been to reassure her for the umpteenth time that they were not getting back together.

"Yeah we did but no definitely no. We are not together and I doubt we will be again at this rate so just no. Why do people keep thinking we are?"

Ignoring the question because he assumed it was rhetorical, Rhodey said instead, "At this rate? Look you don't need to explain yourself, I'm just curious. You seem a lot happier at the moment and I wondered if there was any specific reason."

Tony sighed in defeat. No matter how much he kept denying this or evading the questions, his guardian wasn't stupid. "Fine okay, okay you win. I like someone and we've gone out a few times but nothing is confirmed yet. Are you happy now?"

The smug expression on Rhodey's face made him want to punch it off. "Much, thankyou."

"Alright, I'm out of here. I've got a lot of work to do," Tony replied, unable to stand the sight any longer.

Why did parents or guardians always have to get so excited and invested in their children's love lives? It was just plain weird. Maybe it was because their younger days were so far behind them that they couldn't remember the feelings properly anymore so they need their children to help jog their memories. Well, whatever it was, they should stop.

As he left the room he heard Rhodey say something along the lines of 'have fun' but it wasn't the words that got to him, it was the tone. He sounded far too smug to be legal.

* * *

><p>School was boring. Going to class was boring. This specific class was boring. The teacher wouldn't stop droning on. The students wouldn't shut up enough to let him finish so they could actually get on with their work. It wasn't even Christmas yet and already school was too much. How was anyone supposed to stand another six months or so of this?<p>

The only thing that was improving his day right now was the fact that Loki had just slid into the seat next to his, having arrived late for the class. As Tony sent him a questioning glance, silently asking where he had been, Loki just shook his head then gestured to the front, this meaning that he would tell him later. The unimpressed look on his face told Tony that it was definitely nothing good.

Class dragged on, as did their teacher, and Loki and Tony continued to share deep sighs and eye rolls that communicated their feelings clearly. They were both extremely bored. Then Tony, the genius that he was, was struck with an idea. Hurriedly he tapped on Loki's arm and gestured to a blank sheet of paper and his pen. When Loki sent him a questioning glance he scrawled the word _hangman?_ To which Loki smiled in amusement then nodded.

Tony went first, tapping his pen against his closed lips while he thought of a word or phrase that he could do. Suddenly hit with inspiration (with special thanks to their mind numbingly dull teacher) he drew a number of lines indicating how many letters per word, then separating each word with a forward slash. Tapping Loki once again to let him know he was done, he sat back and waited for Loki to start guessing. Obviously he started with the vowels to which a few were filled in and then he started on the consonants. In the end he had enough of a clue to fill in the rest of the gaps before Tony could finish drawing the hanging stickman. The final words when filled in read _Mr Phelps is a freaking douche_ (Mr Phelps being their irritatingly talkative teacher).

Loki sent Tony an unamused expression, writing neatly beside the game a note saying _Don't you think that was too long for the game? _In reply Tony just wrote that he would do a shorter one next time. Satisfied, Loki sat back in his chair and stared into space, thinking up his own for Tony to guess at. In the end he settled on one of two possibilities and started to draw out the dashes for Tony to fill.

This game lasted a lot longer and by the end of it Tony was getting frustrated as he was unable to work out what the short message spelled. In the end he just gave up, filling in the rest of the hangman as a gesture to say that he had lost. Knowing he had won, Loki pocketed the piece of paper with a far too smug smile on his face. God it was just hangman, Tony thought, it wasn't like he had just become the ruler of the world.

It took only a few more seconds for an idea to present itself and after some silent negotiations he had finally managed to convince Loki to play one last game. Digging out the old sheet they had been playing on, now rather crumpled, he began to draw the lines signifying the words. When done there were three words, each separated by a dash. Loki stared at it for a few seconds before starting to guess.

His first choice was 'e' and two were filled in. Next he went for 'a' but that was wrong and Tony started to draw the stickman. After a few more guesses there were only a few letters missing and Loki was frowning at the paper.

"Tony, what?" He questioned, not sure if he should fill in the gaps with what he thought it said, or rather, asked.

"Do you give up?" Tony asked, nonchalant. When Loki didn't reply he said, "Here, let me help." He leant forward and filled in the few remaining gaps then leaned back so Loki could see. "Oh wait just quickly..." He picked up his pen and added a question mark to the end of the three words.

"Be my boyfriend?" Loki mouthed then stared at Tony incredulously. "Are you seriously asking me out through hangman?"

"I guess so," Tony said, suddenly unsure of himself. "So yes or no?"

Instead of speaking Loki drew three dashes on the paper.

"I'm going to take a wild guess but I think that word is yes." Loki filled in the gaps for him a wide smile on his face as Tony spoke again. "Or it says no with an exclamation mark at the end."

"You're such an idiot," Loki grinned, shaking his head as though he was trying to rid himself of the wonderfully warm feeling rising inside of him. Reaching down he took hold of his hand, entwining their fingers together discreetly under the desk.

"Are you two quite finished?"

Their heads snapped up in unison, both gazes coming to rest on their teacher who was standing over them on the other side of their desk. Before they had time to act he had swiped the sheet of paper off their desk, his eyes skimming across the page as he read the few words printed there. When done he lowered the paper and just stared at them both, eyebrows raised. Clearly he had not been expecting what he had read.

"Sir, I beg you, please don't read that out as one of those humiliation things that teachers do!" Tony begged, keeping his voice low so no one else could hear.

Mr Phelps sent him an appraising look, reread the paper then sighed dramatically. "Fine I won't read this out but I want to see you both after class."

"That's fair," Tony nodded, joined in a second later by Loki.

"Good."

And the lesson continued as though nothing had happened and neither Tony nor Loki had ever been more grateful to hear their teacher rambling on again. Only when the class were dismissed and they were the only ones left at their desks did some form of nerves creep into either's body.

"So, though I am thrilled to learn intimate details of your personal lives, I would ask that you don't discuss them during my class."

"Yes Sir, sorry," Loki mumbled, staring resolutely at his desk.

"And I'd also appreciate if you didn't refer to me as a 'freaking douche'," he said, a flicker of amusement on his usually expressionless face.

"Again, sorry," Tony added.

"Well I think that's it, you better hurry and apologise to your next teacher for being kept behind."

They both got up and collected their things together, shoving their books and pens safely into their bags before fixing them on their backs or balancing them on one shoulder.

"Oh and just one more thing." Turning around at the door, they looked back to their teacher. "I suppose a congratulations is in order."

"Um I think you normally say congratulations when someone is getting married," Tony said. "And that is definitely not what is happening."

"Well you never know, give it a few years," He laughed, enjoying how their expressions became a mixture of confusion and embarrassment. "I'm just kidding. Now get to class before you get detention."

Without another word they were off up the corridor, heading towards their next lessons, for Loki it was English, for Tony it was Physics . They didn't say a word to each other until they were far enough away from Mr Phelps's classroom to not be heard yet weren't too close to the classroom near then so that they couldn't be seen.

"Well that was certainly an eventful lesson."

"Indeed," Loki agreed. "Out of curiosity what would you have done if he had read out the note?"

"I honestly don't know. I'm not sure I'm ready for the whole school knowing about this yet."

"Oh thank god," Loki sighed heavily. "I'd rather keep this quiet for a while too."

There was silence for a moment. Neither of them appeared to notice that they were still holding hands.

"I suppose we should get to class seeing as I really don't want detention, especially not when I have a hot boyfriend to take out somewhere after school."

He smirked watching the happy expression take over Loki's face. Then, without any warning, Loki was upon him, pressing his lips to Tony's in a chaste kiss. When he pulled away Tony chased his lips until they connected again and they were soon lost in each other.

By the time they got to their respective classes they were at least fifteen minutes late and neither had a good enough excuse for their long absence. They both were given hour long detentions.

* * *

><p><em>This chapter was basically a way to show my appreciation for cheese on toast and hangman. I'm sorry if you thought it lame but I found it kinda sweet. Anyway for the <strong>important notice<strong>_**s: **_I am now going on holiday for two weeks where I will be without WiFi so you won't have an update for quite some time just fyi. That's why I wrote this quickly in order to give you some fluff before I went away. I hope you enjoyed and please review?! _

_(Also check out my new oneshot if you like James Bond/Q, it's called Priorities)_


	16. Chapter 16

_Honestly this is my favourite chapter so far and I had so much fun with it! I hope you like it too..._

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><p><span>Chapter 16<span>

"Quit staring at me like that."

"I can't, you're just too cute," Natasha replied, the same expression remaining firmly fixed on her face.

Chemistry. The one lesson Tony had with Natasha and only Natasha. No Clint or Loki to rescue him now. He was left alone to fall prey to Natasha's new phase of being totally over the top awwwing him whenever no one else was talking or else staring at him with as though he was the most adorable thing she had ever laid eyes on. It was getting ridiculous.

"You're a terrible friend, you now that right?"

In response Natasha pouted at him, sticking her bottom lip forward that had been replenished with red lipstick only a few minutes before.

"Don't but grumpy with me just because your boyfriends not here."

"I really regret ever agreeing to tell you and Clint. You both are going to drive me mental."

Natasha just nodded with a mischievous smile. She didn't mention it for the rest of the lesson and Tony really wasn't sure is he was scared or relieved. Either way it did give him enough quiet to actually concentrate so he supposed, on this occasion, the good really did out way the bad.

Though they had both admitted that they didn't want to go fully public with their new relationship, they had both agreed it was slightly unfair to keep Clint and Natasha in the dark. If they were both being truthful, they would acknowledge that it was down to them that they were finally together. Not that they doubted it would happen, just that the meddling pair made it happen sooner rather than later. Loki and Tony were secretly very grateful.

At first Tony hadn't minded being awwwed whenever he went near them or looked at as though he was adorable but it had now been almost a week since they told the pair and neither of them were letting up. Tony knew soon if they didn't shut their mouths then people would start to guess. He'd already seen Darcy's suspicious looks and had deliberately avoided her gaze ever since. Judging by her apparent skills, she probably already knew but had luckily kept quiet.

Tony had been debating if he should tell anyone else. Thor was a definite no. He was dreading the day that Loki's overly protective, overly tall and overly muscular brother found out that he was dating him. He had considered Rhodey but concluded that he might leave it a while before he said anything. Apart from that he couldn't think of anyone except Bruce and Steve who were his next closest friends. In the end he told himself there was no rush. Things would happen when they happened.

"So are you still pissed about the project being cancelled?" Natasha asked

The end of the lesson nearing and the restless students were making enough notice that Tony had to strain to hear her. After he got her to repeat what she had said, he answered.

"Yeah I suppose, the only good thing is that we don't have to perform in front of loads of people. We just have to do that one small performance now that has to be filmed to prove that we did it. I mean I can understand why they cut it, it's just annoying."

They'd found out that their Romeo and Juliet project had been cancelled due to the fact it was their final year which made it extremely important and so they shouldn't be wasting it on other things. That was why Loki had come in late to lesson, because he had been listening to their headmaster try and convince him that it was the best option. Now all they had to do was keep practising and do one performance after Christmas so that they could be filmed. Then they would have the rest of the year to focus on their studies.

Loki had been particularly annoyed but had soon calmed down. He didn't mind losing a few tasks off his already huge pile of work. In some ways it was a breath of fresh air. Still it was sad to see the group ending. Though it had been embarrassing and irritating at first, they had all come to quite enjoy themselves in the end.

The bell was ringing and it drew Tony away from one train of thought into another. Oh yes. It was lunchtime.

* * *

><p>His phone rang from where it lay beside him, startling him out of his thoughts. He read the text once the screen flashed on.<p>

_Come help me with these progress reports. It's boring doing them alone –_ Loki

Tony rolled his eyes but replied all the same. He knew Loki was only making him help to punish him for laughing because Mr Logan had given Loki all the extra work leaving himself free of any extra to do.

_What's in it for me_? Tony typed back, knowing that when Loki read that text he would roll his eyes just as he himself had just done.

_My wonderful unmatchable company? _– Loki

_Fine I concede, just for you. I'll be there in 30 –_ Tony

He made a poor job of tidying away what he had been working on in his garage before heading upstairs for a quick shower. After spending the majority of his morning tinkering with cars and other machinery he had worked up a sweet and was covered in oil. He doubted very much that Loki would be impressed if he turned up at his house in such a state.

By the time he actually got to Loki's thirty minutes had long since past but he wasn't worried. Loki knew he wasn't the best time keeper when he entered into the relationship now he had to live with the consequences. Pressing the button to ring the doorbell, Tony stood back and watched a figure come closer through the hazy glass. He could tell it wasn't Loki before the door was even opened.

"Hello Tony," Loki's mother smiled widely, stepping back immediately, opening the door wider to invite him in. "Loki!" She called, turning her head towards the stairs. Tony was surprised she still remembered his name.

There was a few seconds of silence then a door opened and Loki appeared on the landing dressed in soft jogging bottoms and an overly large t-shirt. Though he would deny it to anyone but probably Loki himself, Tony found the sight of him dressed scruffily slightly too hot. It was probably not the smartest thing to be thinking about when stood next to said boyfriend's mother. Oh well. You could even see the light shadows under his eyes from a few too many late nights.

It was slightly odd seeing Loki like this. He usually was so well put together, having immaculate hair and immaculate clothes. Now his hair just hung softly around his face, brushing his shoulders, gently waving from where it hadn't been combed or straightened. Tony was pretty certain that he wore the tiniest bit of makeup to school because he had never seen Loki's skin look any other shade than its usual smooth paleness, except for when he blushed and a light shade of red brushed over his cheeks.

Taking each stair at a time, Loki descended the stairs to stand in front of Tony before looking at his mother and then back again. "We're going to go upstairs and do some schoolwork," he said, ignoring the tiny smirk on Frigga's face.

"Well don't work too hard," She replied, patting her son on the cheek as she passed him on her way into the kitchen.

Tony and Loki shared a look and, once Loki was sure Frigga was out of sight, he took Tony's hand in his own and pulled him up the stairs into his bedroom. The door was then shut and they were left alone in each other's company.

"So truth is I actually came over to see you and not help with the work," Tony said after a few beats of silence. "But on the plus side, at least now you have me to keep you company and make the work more interesting."

"You are insufferable," Loki answered, already knowing that that was probably why he had come. He doubted very much Tony would ever rush over to help with work unless it was biology. Or more specifically anything to do with sex education.

"Yet you suffer me."

"I haven't been for very long, that's probably why your still here."

"Harsh, very harsh," Tony muttered.

He took to exploring Loki's room while Loki himself lay on his front and continued to work. There was a desk set up by one wall with neatly stacked piles of work for each of his subjects along with books, all of which containing bookmarks. So Tony had learned one thing, Loki didn't fold the corners of the pages.

There was also an older version of the laptop that Loki was using now, it was closed and off and when Tony lifted the lid briefly he noted that at least two keys were missing. Two long shelves were above his bed where the majority of his books were kept. His collection ranged between fact and fiction and all of them appeared to be well read with bent spines and occasional rips in the pages.

The curtains were half closed, letting in enough light to see without straining your eyes but not too much that you had to squint away from the bright November sun. Outside, he could see Loki's front drive with a clear view both left and right on the road outside.

Once finished with his explorations, he settled beside Loki, skim-reading what he was typing. Seeing as none of it even made sense to him – it was an English essay – he fell backwards and lay on the bed the opposite way to Loki.

"Loki," Tony said. The other man hummed in answer to let him know that he was listening. "Come here."

"Why?" Loki asked.

"Because I want you too and I think you're really really pretty."

Loki snored derisively. "Flattery, really? Well I think you are really really distracting."

"You invited me," Tony replied in a quiet voice, sounding like a petulant child. "Ohhh come on Loki," He whined as the man continued to work without sparing him a glance.

"Fine I will entertain you or do whatever you want to do but only if you help me later with the work Mr Logan set. Deal?"

"Deal," he answered without hesitation.

Loki closed his laptop screen and carefully placed it on the floor, pushing it half under the bed so no one was likely to tread on it. Then he removed the papers littered around him, putting them with the rest of his work on the desk. Finally he came to rest in front of Tony. He sat crossed legged and stared at him expectantly while Tony shifted into a comfortable sitting position.

"What do you want to do then?"

"I have a few ideas."

Before Loki could actually question what those were he was lying flat on his back with Tony hovering over him looking far too pleased with himself.

"So this was your plan all along, get me into bed?" Loki questioned, amusement playing on his face. It wasn't like he was opposed to the idea, he was just surprised.

"No, not quite," Tony said and Loki was sure he could hear a small amount of unease in his tone. "Although I'm sure that will happen one day in the near future. My plan was just going to do what normal teenagers do when they are alone together."

"And what's that?"

"Make out like crazy."

"Hmm anything to get you to shut up," was Loki's reply, though the sassy comment was ruined somewhat by Tony cutting off his final few words with his lips, leaving Loki to sort of mumble them into the kiss.

For his part, Tony really made the most of this opportunity. It was no secret by now that Tony found Loki aesthetically pleasing and had really wanted to get his hands on his body for some time. Unfortunately so far he had got as far as holding his hips in the few times where they had kissed. But now he let his hands wander freely up and down Loki's sides, over his hips, feeling the sharp bones as he went. He ran his hands up the curve of Loki's spine as he arched beautifully off the bed with a soft moan as Tony carefully sucked and nibbled at his bottom lip.

Loki had to agree this was a lot more fun than work. Not that he actually found work fun so he supposed it was a lot lot more fun. As he felt Tony's hands roaming his torso and hips, he raised his own hands and buried them into the man's soft hair, combing it gently with his fingers to tease out any knots. He was very happy in that moment. That, however, was until...

"Your dad's not home right?" Tony asked suddenly, breaking the kiss.

Loki groaned loudly letting his head drop back against his pillows. "Please, please, when we are doing anything remotely sexy or intimate, do not mention my father, ever!"

"Shit sorry, but is he home?"

"No, why? I'm starting to worry you have a thing for my father judging by how much you're asking after him."

"I mentioned him twice and no, it's more the fact that I have a thing for you and I'm just worried that if your dad found out he might break my neck or something."

Loki couldn't help a tiny smile fighting past his frustration at that. Damn, he was so weak. Damn Tony for being so charming. "Well you have nothing to worry about," He assured him. "He's at work and won't be back until late this evening."

"By which time I shall be gone and you will be missing me."

"Most likely," Loki agreed. "Now please shut up and kiss me or I may have to throw you out early."

With a smile, Tony happily consented to his request. He'd barely resealed their lips when a series of heavy knocks disturbed them.

In a panicked rush Loki sat up, forcing Tony to do the same. They both arranged themselves into casual positions, Tony pulling out his phone to pretend like he was texting, before Loki gave permission for the person to come in. Of course. Thor.

"Hello brother, Tony," He greeted in turn upon entrance. "Mother has baked cookies and wondered if you two would like any."

"No we're fine thankyou," Loki answered curtly.

"Yeah we're good," Tony rephrased as Thor turned his gaze on him.

"If you are sure."

And with that he was gone.

"You know, your mum does make good cookies," Tony commented, a smile on his face.

"How do you know?"

"Remember I was friends with Thor long before I even met you." Loki looked slightly offended at that. "Hey it's not my fault you were at school in England."

"Point taken," Loki said with a sigh. "Now can we carry on where we left off, I was really starting to enjoy myself."

Soon they were back to how they were before they were interrupted, thoroughly enjoying each other's company. As Loki moved beneath Tony to suck and kiss the skin of his neck, his hips pressed upwards eliciting a tiny hiss from Tony as their crotches made contact. It was only the barest friction but it was enough for that moment.

But it was just their luck that another hammering came on the closed bedroom door. This time Thor didn't wait for them to invite him in so Loki only just managed to shove Tony off him and sit up before the blonde noticed anything.

"What now?" Loki demanded, teeth gritted.

"I was just checking again whether you wanted any of the cookies. Mother said it was impolite to eat them all myself." He held out a plate to them and they both took one of the delicious looking cookies just to appease the man. "There are also cakes if you-"

"We're fine, really Thor you can go. We really need to get on."

Tony found it slightly amusing that Loki didn't actually specify what they needed to get on with. Thor believed it to be work but he was very mistaken. Still, he left the room with a wide smile and apologies for having disturbed them.

"I actually feel kinda sorry for him."

"I don't," Loki said. "And I swear to any god listening if he walks in again I will not be held responsible for my actions." Laughter burst out of Tony before he could stop it. He received an unamused look from Loki. "I'm serious, you know."

"I know you are. That's what makes it better. I like it when you get all feisty, it's sexy."

"I'm not feisty but I will accept being called sexy," Loki nodded to himself with a smile.

At least Loki had a little warning this time as he was pushed backwards on the bed for the third time after Tony practically leapt across the mattress towards him. Their mouths easily found each other, reconnecting with an intensity that outmatched all their other kisses. Tony wasted no time this time with familiarising himself with Loki's body, instead he went straight in, pushing up the hem of the man's t-shirt to feel the marble like skin beneath.

It was Loki's turn to hiss this time, the feel of Tony's calloused hands brushing over his bare skin raising goose bumps wherever they went. It was intoxicating. Tony's lips on his, Tony's hands on his skin. It was so little yet so much. He felt overwhelmed yet oddly empty. He couldn't remember ever feeling like this before. He wasn't sure if he should be worried or not.

Then the worst thing happened. It was like they expected it and yet were so surprised when it happened. Thor barged into the room for the third time, not even bothering to knock or wait for an invitation. He froze at the sight of them on the bed, Tony basically straddling Loki's waist with his hands up his shirt while Loki moaned softly as they kissed, his own hands resting on Tony's hips.

When they heard the sharp intake of breath they both froze, neither wanting to look up. As a reflex, Loki pushed Tony off him, attempting to look like nothing out of the ordinary was happening but it was too late. The image was burned into Thor's subconscious. Nothing could erase it.

Unfortunately Tony hadn't anticipated the shove. He over balanced to one side, realising at the last minute that he was going to go tumbling over the side of the bed. In a last fight to stay up, he grabbed on to the thing closest to him. Loki. It all was over very quickly. They both went plummeting off the bed landing in a heap on the floor, Loki mostly on top of Tony.

Scrambling to their feet, they stood side by side and finally looked up at Thor where he was still frozen in the doorway.

"Look Thor-," Tony tried to explain but stopped when Thor opened his mouth.

"I..er...wondered...see your busy...never mind...I'll...me-I...I'll just go."

He turned on his heels and practically ran from the room. Quite honestly Tony couldn't blame him. Loki padded almost noiselessly across the floor and shut the door, releasing a deep breath that he hadn't realised he'd been holding. Then he let out a frustrated groan and collapsed forwards on to his bed mumbling words of despair into his pillows.

"Oh come on, that could have gone a lot worse," Tony said, resting a hand on his back for reassurance.

"But it could have gone better. I didn't want him to know yet."

"Neither did I particularly but I'm sure it'll be okay. At least I hope it will. Oh my god what if he left to get a knife and kill me." Loki sucked in a heavy breath, giving Tony a very exasperated look when he sat up. "Look do you want me to make me feel better?"

"How are you going to do that?" Loki asked grumpily.

He just opened his arms wide and pulled Loki into them, ignoring his muttered protests. Finally though, he did relax into the embrace and they sank backwards into the pillows.

"I suppose it could have been worse," Loki admitted reluctantly, enjoying Tony's arms wrapped loosely around him.

"That's the spirit," Tony chuckled.

They didn't move for quite some time, only deciding to move when Tony complained that he had pins and needles in his legs. He ended up actually helping Loki with the work and they got it done in double quick time as a result. Afterwards they talked for a while before Tony said that he needed to go.

Going down stairs was a tense affair. Frigga had gone out, having come upstairs to tell them. She thankfully hadn't mentioned the loud bang from when they fell from the bed but Loki was pretty sure Thor had told her what he had witnessed. She looked far too happy to just be excited about going to buy milk and bread.

The thing Tony was still worried about was Thor. They got halfway to the front door when the man himself appeared in the living room doorway.

"Shit," Tony muttered. "So close."

"I..um..." Thor began, shuffling uncomfortably on the spot. "I just wanted to say that I'm...er...happy for you. Though I wish I had found out in another way than that but I can't be angry at you both."

"Wow, I was not expecting that," Tony replied, relaxing his stance and stepping to the side so he was next to Loki instead of hiding behind him. "But thanks buddy. I gotta go but I'll see you at school."

Thor nodded and waved goodbye, letting Loki walk him all the way to the door. Their own goodbyes were fairly short but Loki did manage a smile as Tony gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. After the door was shut, Loki turned back to where Thor was still standing.

"Look I-" He began, though he was cut short when the breath was knocked out of him as Thor pulled him into a tight hug.

"I am so pleased for you, brother," Thor cried joyfully.

"Get off me Thor," Loki protested but his complaints went unnoticed.

When Thor finally did relinquish his hold a few minutes later, Loki was forced to spend the rest of the afternoon, until his father returned home, listening to how wonderful it was that he and Tony were together. And though he wanted to bang his head against the wall by the end of the day, he was silently pleased that Thor approved. He may give off the impression that he hated his brother but there was still love and adoration there that couldn't just be erased.

* * *

><p><em>Thumbs up for Thor. Okay so I hope you enjoyed. Drop a review to tell me your thoughts?! :) <em>


	17. Chapter 17

_And a happy birthday to me means a gift to you in the form of an update. I've worked out there are about 12-14 chapters left depending how well I can wrap this up, just to let you guys know :)_

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 17<span>

It was now very late November. The students getting up for school awoke in darkness and had to wait until they were actually leaving before they even saw the weak sun make its first appearance over the rooftops. The frozen grass appeared to have been scattered with tiny crystals that glistened in the light while the bare tree branches were dusted with icing sugar that melted as the day wore on.

Hats, scarves and gloves were a must for anyone who didn't want to end up ill or missing a limb. Students got to school in record time, unwilling to spend excess amounts of time in the freezing cold, knowing there were heaters already powered up and waiting for them to arrive. Those who drove to school had the misfortune of de-icing their windows each morning, except for the lucky few who had enough garage space to squeeze their car into the warmth.

Tony was very grateful to be one of those lucky few as he pulled out of his drive and onto road that had been gritted over night to help prevent accidents. The closer he got to school, the more of his fellow pupil he saw struggling through the intense cold. In a way he felt sorry for them. But then he didn't because all thoughts of those poor souls were forgotten when he parked his car and hurried up the front steps.

There, waiting for him just inside the door, was Loki. He was wrapped up in a coat that fell to the tops of his thighs and clutched a thermos in his ghostly white hands. He smiled as Tony approached, pushing away from the wall to meet him.

"You okay?" Tony asked in greeting, noticing how pale his boyfriend was. Wow, his boyfriend. He doubted he would ever get used to saying that.

"Yes I'm fine," he replied unconvincingly. Judging by how strange his voice sounded and how he suddenly turned away, his body shaking violently due to a huge coughing fit, Tony guessed that that was not true.

"You may look fine, because, come on, you look hot today, but I still don't think you're well. Maybe you should go home?"

"I just have a bit of a cold," Loki said. After he spoke this time he shivered, drawing his coat in tighter around himself.

"Right, no, you're going home now. You can't be in school like this and I really don't want to be infected as well."

Loki made weak protests as he was steered out of the door towards Tony's car but gave in once the doors were shut and the heating was switched on. It was true, he felt awful. His head was throbbing no matter how many painkillers he had taken; his nose was blocked to the extent where he couldn't breathe through it at all, every time he coughed his throat felt worse and his head pounded all the more. He'd only managed to force himself out of bed because he knew he needed to go to school.

As if Tony sensed what Loki was thinking about he said, "If you tell me what classes you have today, I'll go and collect the work for you and drop it round this evening."

The relief on Loki's face shined through the thin sheen of sweat on his face. Yeah, so much for 'just have a bit of a cold', he had a full blown fever going on. By the time they reached his house, the man's eyes were fighting to stay open and it took all of his last energy to make it out of the car and up the drive to his front door. Having no patience to find his key, Loki knocked lightly on the door to have his mother open it a few seconds later.

"Wha-Loki? What's wrong?" She stumbled out, guiding him into the house before placing a hand on his forehead. "Oh Hel you're burning up, come up stairs and get into bed." She walked with Loki up the stairs then turned her head to speak to Tony. "Just wait there, I'll be back down in a minute."

It was another five minutes until she actually came back but Tony wasn't annoyed. He'd missed the start of school now anyway so there really wasn't much point in panicking. Maths was his first lesson anyway, he was great at maths...and his teacher loved him. Win, win.

"I wouldn't have even let him leave the house this morning if I knew he was that bad but he told me he was fine and he looked pretty fine so I didn't question it. That boy is such a good liar; it will get him into trouble one day." Tony chuckled at that. "Thankyou for bringing him home, I'm about to call the school to let them know that he came home and I'll slip in a word about you as I don't want you to get detention for being late."

"It's fine honestly, but thankyou," Tony said, his polite parent voice firmly in place. "Anyway...I should probably be going...oh one more thing, is it okay if I drop round after school to give Loki his work for the day? He was all panicked that he was going to fall behind."

"Of course you can, you are welcome here any time," Frigga smiled.

Tony thanked her again, said his goodbyes then left.

Such a sweet young man, Frigga thought as she climbed the stairs to check on Loki. She was glad Loki had found someone nice. He deserved it.

* * *

><p>As it turned out, when he finally got back to school, Tony didn't have maths first. He had Psychology which was, more importantly, taught by Mr Phelps. The teacher that had just so happened to be the man that had read the note of him asking Loki out via hangman. Since that day he'd been strangely kind to both Tony and Loki. Not that he was showing favouritism or doing anything that the other students would even notice, he just didn't pick on them randomly to answer questions as often and was more lenient if they didn't answer perfectly.<p>

When he hurtled through the classroom door, forty minutes late and with a stitch in his side, his teacher just raised his head and gave him an appraising look.

"Stay after class to explain your lack of punctuality Mr Stark. For now take your seat and open your book to chapter four, page 37."

Tony did as instructed, opening his textbook and reading the page. By the time the bell rang he had managed to gain enough information from the textbook to know what was being discussed in the class.

"I'll only take a moment of your time Stark," Mr Phelps said, cleaning the board while Tony hovered beside his desk, the side nearest the door. "Why were you late?"

"Loki, he wasn't feeling well this morning but was too damn stubborn to take a day off and came to school anyway. When I saw him, I insisted on driving him home so...so that's what I did," Tony finished flatly, not sure if that was an adequate excuse or not.

"That was a nice thing to do Mr Stark though I will insist that you at least try and be on time to class but it's your education, not mine."

"I do try Sir. Can I just ask something quick? Do you have copies of the work we did this lesson so I can drop it round to Loki after school."

Mr Phelps began to gather a few sheets of paper together that before had been scattered over his desk. "Here, make sure he doesn't sneeze on them or something, will you? I don't want to be ill over Christmas."

"I'll try," Tony said smiling then left the room.

The more time he spent with his teacher, the more he came round to liking him. Maybe he wasn't such a droning douche after all.

* * *

><p>It only took two days for Loki to be back on his feet and in school again. He'd been angry that he had missed just one day of school so missing two had made him downright furious to the point that Tony had to sit for almost two hours one night listening to Loki grumble and whine about how Thor wouldn't leave his side, insisting that Loki couldn't spend all the time in bed alone.<p>

"He's just cares about you Loki, cut him some slack."

"I'm not a child! I don't need him coddling me."

"I'm assuming he's not beside you now otherwise I think he would be quite offended listening to you."

"No, he brought Jane round for dinner and they're still downstairs I think. Getting out of that dinner was the only good thing that's come of me being ill."

Tony was happy to see that he was almost back to his old self again though his voice was still croaky from all the coughing. By the next morning you would have hardly noticed and, though he was still extremely pale, there were no obvious signs of sickness.

With hardly any time to talk before class, Tony accompanied Clint while Loki was whisked away by Natasha. English wasn't the worse class Loki had to admit. Nor was it the best. If you weren't feeling very imaginative at the time then there just wasn't much point being there. It was so horrible being picked on by your teacher to give an insightful analysis of a quote or a character's trait and the best you can come up with is some basic points that barely even fit together to create a clear argument.

"Are you busy on the 5th?" Loki asked as they took their seats.

"Of December? I don't know, why?" Natasha replied.

"No of September. Yes of course December," Loki deadpanned.

"Calm down. Now tell me why, what's going on?"

"It's my parents' thirtieth anniversary and they're having a big party but Thor managed to get out of it by being invited to Jane's to meet her parents and they're going out or doing something...I don't know. Anyway, my mum said I can invite someone to come if I want and I do want because I cannot take an evening with my parents, relatives and their friends all by myself."

"Well I'm not going," Natasha said stoutly.

"What? Why? You literally just said that you don't know if you're free now suddenly you already have plans."

When Natasha spoke again her voice was sagging with exasperation. "Yes because you are a bloody idiot and I can't honestly believe that I'm your friend right now."

"What did I do?"

"Oh I don't know," She said, stopping her sentence and pretending to think. "Maybe it's because you asked me when you should have been asking Tony!"

"Wha-Oh. Oh now I see what you mean," Loki said, feeling slightly guilty. Natasha just nodded at him. "When I see him at lunch I'll ask him then."

"Good," Natasha replied. Then, after a few beats of silence, she continued, "How you even got a boyfriend is beyond me."

Loki just rolled his eyes. He wasn't that terrible she just always exaggerated everything. Or maybe he was terrible. And now he was panicking over a stupid comment. Well that was just perfect. God he needed to get a grip. It had been so long since he had been in a relationship that might actually go somewhere, or was with someone that he actually really liked, that he had forgotten what it took to make a relationship in the first place. What if he messed this all up? What if Tony got bored, or moved on, or just realised that Loki was just a shit boyfriend and left him? Okay now he was definitely over reacting.

Forcing his brain to move onto brighter thoughts, Loki considered Tony's reaction when he asked him to come to the anniversary party. Oh god, what if he said no? Again Loki fought off the negativity, much preferring to think about Tony coming to the party and making it the first ever family get together that Loki would actually enjoy. With that thought in mind, Loki found it far easier to concentrate on his work than when he was deluged with panicked and ill-thought-out questions.

* * *

><p>"Of course I'll come," Tony exclaimed enthusiastically when Loki finally asked him at lunch.<p>

They were sitting with all their friends in the warmth of the cafeteria. The rest were all in deep conversation so Tony and Loki's side conversation went almost unnoticed.

"Are you sure? I guarantee it will be dreadfully dull and you may never look at me in the same way again afterwards."

"Yes I'm sure and it will be fine," Tony reassured him. "You're such a drama queen, you know that right?"

"It has been mentioned on occasion," Loki said evasively, sipping at his drink.

Tony just smirked at that. He was pretty sure that Loki was a full on diva when he got riled up enough, Tony just hadn't known him long enough yet to experience it. However, he looked forward to that day immensely.

Lunch passed in quick succession as did the rest of the day and the few days after that. Soon it was the day before Loki's parents' party and Tony was having a mild panic attack. He'd texted him over an hour ago but still not received a reply. With all his pent up energy, Tony took to pacing the living room. Waiting. Waiting.

There was a noise from the doorway but he was too deep in thought to pay any attention. It was probably nothing anyway. Only when he heard a throat being cleared did he stop his pacing and look up to see who was there. Of course there was only one it could be. Rhodey.

"You know I kind of like this flooring so I'd appreciate if you didn't wear a hole in it."

"Sorry," Tony mumbled, flopping down on the sofa with a sigh of defeat. He checked his phone for about the thousandth time already knowing that there would be no text there. Annoyed by this, he threw his phone across onto the other sofa, where it bounced against the cushions, landing safely, and buried his face into the armrest.

"Okay spill," Rhodey demanded, sitting down next to Tony. "You've been weird all day and now I find you pacing and throwing technology, which happens to be one of your favourite things, so tell me what's going on. I get your going out tomorrow but what's so important about it?"

"Wouldn't understand," was the muffled response he received. It was his turn to sigh.

"Come on, something's clearly bothering you. I'm not asking for every detail, just something. I don't want to become one of those parents who worry constantly about everything but I'm starting to get slightly concerned."

Tony sat up slowly, not looking at him. "Fine, I'll tell you but...but you have to promise not to like freak out or shout or...I don't know..."

"I promise," Rhodey said, hiding his hesitation well. Just from those few words his slight concern had grown into strong concern.

"So the thing...the thing is...what I wanted to say was...is about the thing...which is..."

"Just spit it out, I'm sure it can't be that ba-"

"I'm dating a guy," Tony interrupted, his voice blunt and devoid of emotion. Not wanted to even look at Rhodey, he dropped his head into his hands and closed his eyes. When his guardian didn't speak he carried on himself. "We've been together for a while now and it's going really good and I'm really happy. So yeah...I don't honestly know what this means. I mean...I don't think I'm gay because I still like women but I just haven't really analysed it yet. I'm happy and that's...that's what matters."

He worked himself into silence, taking a shaky breath when he was finished. He didn't dare look up for fear of what he would see. Though he and Rhodey had had many conversations on serious topics, this, surprisingly, had never been one of them. Now he wished it had been. He'd never actually heard Rhodey say anything against same sex relationships but he'd also never heard him say anything for them either.

When his guardian did speak again, he nearly flinched. It had been so long since anyone had spoken.

"Okay," Rhodey said slowly.

"Okay? Is that all you're going to say?" Tony asked, finding his voice again.

"What? I just said that it's okay. Honestly Tony I don't care who you date, men, women, any gender, I don't care. It's your life and whatever makes you happy then I will support you. I never spoke to you about this stuff because I thought you knew I'd be cool about it but now I see I was kind of wrong. Seriously though don't panic, I'm fine with it and as long as you're fine too then that's all that matters."

Instead of responding, Tony just sat up and wrapped his arms around Rhodey in a tight hug. For a second he didn't respond, surprised at what Tony was doing, then he did the same, bringing his arms up and around him, returning the hug. After a short time Tony pulled away, managing to look Rhodey in the eye and smile.

"Thanks," he muttered.

"No worries. Now what's your real problem?"

"What?" Tony asked, bewildered.

"You didn't throw your phone because you wanted to say you have a boyfriend, so what's the real issue? Boyfriend not replying to your texts?"

"Something like that. You know I'm going out tomorrow, yeah? Well I'm going to his parents' thirtieth wedding anniversary party for moral support and they don't know yet that we're dating but I still kinda want to impress them so that they...like me, I suppose. Anyway, I text Loki – that's the guy I'm seeing – about what to wear and he won't reply and now I'm stressed."

In spite of the situation, Rhodey actually laughed. "That's what's worrying you...Tony of course they will like you and I'm sure there's a valid reason why he's not replying. Just calm down, you have all night and all tomorrow morning to sort out what to wear." Then he paused, thinking for a minute. "Loki...wait isn't that the guy you keep having round here?" Tony nodded. "How did I not guess?"

"Maybe you just didn't dwell on it, I mean all I said to you was that he was coming round to do studying, why would you have any reason not to believe that? And truthfully we did study a lot, mostly because Loki made me."

"I really don't want to know what else you do apart from studying, that's a conversation I never want to have. Wait..." He paused again. "Your boyfriend has really weird hair."

"Hey," Tony objected. "I like his hair. You're just jealous because you can't grow yours that long."

"Yeah, that's it," Rhodey replied sarcastically.

The atmosphere had eased a lot since the conversation had moved on to lighter topics. Speaking of light, that was how Tony was feeling. No longer weighed down by stress, the worry that Rhodey would reject him or hate him was all gone. The worry about the party was also gone despite not hearing from Loki still. And, talk of the devil.

His phone started to ring and he nearly fell off the sofa in order to grab it. Tapping the screen, he put the phone to his ear, releasing a sigh of relief as Loki's slightly British accent filled his ears. He mouthed an apology to Rhodey, who gave him a thumbs-up as he left the room.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't reply to your messages, I was forced to go out with father and Thor but I didn't have time to grab my phone before we went and I have only just got home. What's wrong?"

"It's going to sound really stupid now but what should I wear to your parents' thing tomorrow. Like I know it's formal but how formal? Is it like jacket and tie or what?"

He heard Loki laughing on the other end of the line and pulled a face. Damn this idiot, why did he have to like him so much? He could be such an asshole.

"Just a smart shirt and trousers should be fine, nothing too extravagant," Loki chuckled.

"Good to know."

"I gave you the address of the venue so get there for around six. Text me when you leave and I'll be waiting outside to meet you."

"Thanks babe," Tony smiled.

"Ughhh," Loki groaned at the name. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yep, bye."

The line went dead and he was left standing in his hallway with a huge grin on his face.

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><p><em>I wasn't going to do a coming out scene in this story but then I thought it necessary and it fitted in nicely in this chapter. It was a scene I added also to be dedicated to my best friend Hannah who is always there and has been amazing to me for the past few months...anyway, I hope you enjoyed and please leave a review?! <em>


	18. Chapter 18

_Last chapters coming out plot went down really well so I thought I'd extend on that in this chapter. Drop a comment if you like the addition :)_

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><p><span>Chapter 18<span>

He'd sent the text to Loki letting him know that he was on his way, now he was speeding out of his driveway ready for an evening where everything could go really well or everything could be a disaster. He preferred thinking about the former for obvious reasons.

Though the place he was heading to wasn't near the centre of the town, it still didn't take him long to get there. Uncharacteristically, the roads were rather quiet. Still, that meant he could get to Loki quicker which was definitely a bonus. He had been told by Loki himself to dress fairly smartly and that also meant that his boyfriend – wow he would never get tired of saying that – would be dressed up nicely as well. He couldn't wait.

Pulling into a parking space, noting that there weren't many empty spots in the fairly large car park, he got out and noticed a figure standing to the side of the double doors. Light streamed through them but the figure stood in the shadow they cast. It would have been a daunting image if the figure hadn't shifted into the yellow light as he approached.

There Loki stood in all his fully clothed glory a small smile playing on his pink lips. Tony absently wondered about how amazing his naked glory would be. Very inappropriate thoughts when you're about to formally meet and attempt to impress said boyfriend's parents. He wore a form-fitting Prussian blue shirt, two buttons left undone at the top, black skinny jeans and newly polished shoes. His hair was slicked back, held firmly in place by an apparently magical hair product, as no strands were out of place.

"You look gorgeous," Tony nodded, running his gaze up and down his body again.

"Thankyou," Loki murmured, his cheeks tinged pink, though, because of the poor lighting, Tony could not see. He did, however, notice Loki's suddenly shy look and guessed at what his words had caused.

The raven haired man drew him in for a quick kiss. It was short but the feeling lingered. It felt amazing. They remained close for a second before Loki, remembering himself and drew back.

"We probably shouldn't do too much of that this evening," Loki said regretfully. "Though it would make this entire evening more fun, I really don't want to cause any of my family member's to have heart attacks."

Tony sighed, taking his own step back. "Yeah I suppose, though I'm sure your dad's face would be priceless."

"Most definitely," Loki agreed.

Silence grew between them. It wasn't necessarily awkward but there was an underlying level of tension. Loki was pretty sure he hadn't caused it. Then he noticed Tony's expression, which was a mixture of joy and panic. That was an odd combination if ever he saw one. Taking his hand, Loki guided him away from the bright light of the main doors to a bench that lay half in shadow. They both took a seat, fingers remaining entwined.

"I came out to Rhodey yesterday," Tony said. He stared down at their hands, shifting the grip and running his fingertips over Loki's palm. The other man shivered at the touch.

"How did it go?" Loki asked, genuinely curious as he knew from experience that it didn't always go well.

"It went good, I mean he was cool with it. He said that it was my life and my choice and that as long as I'm happy then it doesn't matter to him what I do."

"That's really great," Loki smiled, squeezing Tony's hand, noticing that he wasn't smiling. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing...I guess. It's just..." Tony hesitated, trying to find the right words.

Realisation struck Loki as suddenly as a light bulb blowing. He was pretty sure he knew exactly what was wrong. He'd gone through something similar himself, though it was before he had come out to anyone. Tony was hitting the period of time where you finally start to question what was going on. At this point he was just content at being in a relationship that was, for once, stable. Now they had been together for a while, and were as serious as a relationship can get when you're 18, the confusion was starting to set it.

It wasn't that Tony was confused about being with Loki. No, that wasn't it. It was more what that meant. Before he had come along Tony had believed he was one hundred percent straight with absolutely no exceptions. Now, that was obviously not the case. Now he was trying to figure out where these feelings stemmed from, did he always have them and just never notice, is Loki the only exception? Is he gay? Is he bisexual? And in amongst all the expectations to put a label on himself, he's not taking a minute to just calm down and think clearly. He needed to remember that there was no rush and truly no need to put a label on himself at all if he didn't want to.

"It's just that your confused because you're in a relationship with a man and your happy and you never really thought this would happen because you assumed you were totally straight and now your questioning everything and panicking unnecessarily. Because of that insecurity you're worried you'll mess this relationship up or that I will get bored slash annoyed with you and leave you," Loki said. Tony just stared at him in awe. "What? You think you're the only one who went through that? I may appear very comfortable in my sexuality now but believe me, when I first discovered these 'feelings' I freaked out."

"You're amazing, you know that."

"It's been mentioned," Loki smiled again. And it was a wonderful smile.

Tony returned the gesture but then his expression sobered and he was left feeling mildly anxious. He had no idea how what he was about to reveal was going to go down with Loki.

"That's not everything though," he started, pausing after he'd finished just to see what the other would say.

"Oh?" Loki replied.

"Okay so this is kinda awkward to talk about, well...for me anyway. It's just that with all this going on I'm still like..." He took a deep breath before blurting out what he wanted to say. "I've never had sex with a guy before or done anything really and I just don't want to fuck up or have you lose interest or think I'm an idiot."

"I think you're an idiot." Tony's face fell. "But not about this." He looked up, a relieved expression on his face. "You're feelings are perfectly valid and we'll take things at our own pace. If you're not comfortable with something then we won't do it. It's that simple and I won't judge you, I'm not dating you just to get in your pants, you know. I like you."

"So we're good? Everything's fine?"

"Yes," Loki agreed. "Everything is fine. Now we really should go inside because I'm freezing."

That was a fair point. Now thinking about it, Tony had goosebumps running up his arms and, as he glanced over at Loki, he realised the other man was shivering slightly. Right. Yeah. It wasn't a very smart idea to sit outside in December especially when it was dark. They headed towards the still open doors, the sound of music and talking from within growing louder as they approached. Just before they went inside, Loki muttered something into Tony's ear that made the blood drain from his face and travel to a region it probably shouldn't have.

"Anyway you knowing nothing means I get to teach you and I can be very thorough in my lessons."

Then he had the audacity to smirk at Tony and wink before dragging him inside. God what he wanted to do when I finally got his hands on that body.

* * *

><p>Upon entering, the room was alight with both artificial lighting and smiles. Though the room was packed with people it didn't feel cramped. People grouped together but in a welcoming way, inviting to others that may want to share in their conversation.<p>

Loki was obliged to take Tony over to his parents to introduce him. As always his mother was very welcoming, greeting Tony as though they had known each other for ages while his father made a fair attempt at interest but in the end became far too distracted by another one of his business associates that had just arrived. On the other hand, Loki seemed very relieved, dragging Tony away to the other side of the room. On the way they were stopped multiple times by relatives and family friends, all of which Loki dismissed quickly.

They both got drinks from the bar that was on the far left hand side at the back of the large room. Luckily being their age and it being Loki's parents' event, they were allowed alcohol. Then they sat down on chairs surrounding one of the many round tables that were dotted around the makeshift dance floor.

"See I don't see what the fuss was about, this really isn't bad at all. I'm quite enjoying myself."

Loki sent him an incredulous look. "Are you serious? You've barely been here ten minutes and it's not your family so you wouldn't understand."

"They were only trying to talk to you Loki, they're your family and they obviously care about you," Tony said, confused why he suddenly looked angry.

"Can we just drop it," Loki said shortly, and then added in a politer tone, "Please."

"Course," Tony replied.

A few beats of silence later Loki turned to him, leaning in close with a serious expression on his face. "I know I'm...I'm not always nice about talking about my family or anything but there are...there are reasons for that but I just don't think I'm ready to tell you them yet. I hope that's alright."

"As long as you are okay Loki I honestly don't care. Some things are private for a reason and when you feel ready I will be here to listen and to maybe offer advice if the situation demands it and to comfort you if you need it. So basically whatever you need, I'll be here, no matter the time even if it's half three in the morning."

He gave Loki a reassuring smile, wishing he could hug or kiss him instead. However, he respected Loki enough not to make a scene that could end disastrously. It was up to Loki when he told his parents, not him.

For Loki those words held a seriousness that he hadn't realised their relationship held yet. Yes they saw each other often, spoke everyday either in person or through texts, they spoke of everything from the serious to the hilarious, they laughed together. They were happy together.

"That sounded like it held a lot of sentiment," Loki said, feigning normality despite his racing thoughts and racing heart. It had just struck him that he cared for Tony far more than he'd ever expected to and now the weight of realisation was crushing him like a tonne of bricks. In a good way though. For once he wasn't scared by sentiment, by the possibility of feelings.

Shrugging Tony downed his drink. He looked out to the dance floor, surprised at the number of couples occupying it. As he placed his now empty glass down on the table he said, "You wanna join?" then he nodded in the direction of all the swinging partners.

Loki took another sip of his drink and almost choked. "What? Dance with you?" He inquired, surprise written on his perfectly line free face.

"Yeah, unless you're too scared."

"I've never been one to back out of a challenge," Loki answered with a dangerous smile, swallowing the rest of his drink before licking his lips.

"Good," Tony said. Standing up, he moved in front of Loki and offered him his hand. "May I have this dance then?"

If Loki had been thinking straight he probably would have declined because it was fairly obvious that his parents would see this. But for once he couldn't bring himself to care. They were going to find out sooner or later anyway and truthfully he really really wanted to dance with Tony. Smirking, he accepted Tony's offered hand and was yanked from his chair. In a second he was spun around before being pulled up against Tony's chest in one swift graceful movement.

"You can dance," He stated stupidly.

"You bet I can dance," was the reply he received.

There was no time to say any more on the subject because next second they were dancing. Not any of that stupid childish jumping up and down to a fast beat. No. This was proper dancing. Tony held Loki close as they revolved around the floor and Loki held him just as close in return. There was no need to speak and the truth is they couldn't. Everything about the moment demanded silence. They needed quiet so they could remember this moment forever. They never wanted to forget the closeness, the gentle touches, the fast breaths. The first realisation that this could become something serious. That this thing between them could soon grow and blossom into first love. And maybe even true love. There was no need to say a word.

The song carried on, a wordless melody that carried them around on its well paced beat. They eased round the other couples, never coming close to a collision and only drawing odd glances before they were forgotten, lost once again in their moment. As the song's notes began to fade out, Tony twirled Loki one last time, pulling him back so they were chest to chest.

Flushed from the dancing and from the sudden realisation of just how close he was to Tony, Loki took a deep breath, relaxing into Tony's arms that were still wrapped around his waist.

"And you can dance too," Tony commented with a laugh.

Loki couldn't even bring himself to respond. The overwhelming bizarreness of the situation was hitting just as hard as his feelings for Tony were. He laughed too, unable to fight the impulse to do what he did next. One hand on Tony's neck and the other in his hair, he guided his head up into a powerful kiss. The man didn't protest one little bit.

In seconds they were lost in the moment, unable to care in the slightest that a majority of the people in the surrounding area was now watching them. From the noises coming from them, it appeared their opinions were mixed. Some were fine, even clapping them or whistling their approval. On the other hand, many did not approve, muttering their disgust or else verbalising their remarks loud enough to hear. Still, none of these bothered the pair at all.

That was until they were harshly ripped apart, Tony left stumbling after losing his grip on Loki as the other man was dragged backwards.

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><p>He watched them from a distance, sussing and sighing every time they shifted closer or when a touch or look lingered slightly too long. In turn with his watching, Frigga was watching him, though thankfully made no comment. Yet. She wouldn't want them separated, she didn't see a problem. Then Loki's guest stood up and offered his hand to which Loki accepted. Odin tensed as he saw them begin to dance, choosing to ignore the fact that his son looked genuinely happy. It had been a long time since he had seen him smile. Still, that didn't forgive his actions.<p>

"Leave it," Frigga muttered in his ear.

"But he knows what he is doing, this is a family event and he is deliberately trying to sabotage it. He always does this." His anger was starting to get the better of him.

"If you make a scene I will never forgive you," Frigga hissed. "And do not make Loki out to be that way, he never does things to deliberately ruin anything so don't talk about him in that way."

Odin made no reply, choosing to focus on the couple now revolving around the floor. To his distain other couples started to notice their dalliances and by the time the song came to an end they had drawn a small crowd. He began to edge through the crowd, getting closer and closer to his son and his friend. Though they had stopped dancing, they had remained exceedingly close. Unnecessarily close, he thought.

Then the worst happened. The thing that he could not accept. It was the last straw. Ignoring the protests of some of his guests, while with approval of others, he marched over to his son and wrenched the pair apart. Loki gasped in surprise, reflexively struggling in his grip. The attempt was futile as his hold never wavered. He strode back through the room, pulling Loki with him until they reached a more secluded area where he would be able to berate Loki on what he had just done. When he finally let go of the man, Loki span around with a livid expression on his face.

"What do you think you are doing?" he demanded before Odin himself was even able to speak.

"What am I doing? I should ask you the same question. How dare you? How dare you, at this family event, act like that?"

"Act like what? I was enjoying myself. I thought that was the point of this whole bloody evening!" Loki cried, gesturing with his arms at the room around, registering briefly that Tony had followed him and was now standing a metre or two to his left. He didn't look happy at all but all his anger appeared to be aimed at Odin and not himself.

"Don't use that language or tone with me. You knew what you were doing, you were just trying to provoke me."

"Surprisingly my world doesn't revolve around you _father_," Loki spat back, hatred taking centre stage over his anger. "I did not dance with my boyfriend to spite you, not matter what you may think. I did it because I wanted to."

As their voices rose in volume, the room grew quiet around them. No one pretended not to see the scene now. On the contrary they were all turned and watching avidly, unsure whether they should intervene or not.

"Stop acting like such a brat Loki and accept that you are in the wrong. All you do is cause mischief and chaos. You always have to have the world revolving around you and you always have to have the last word."

"Odin please stop," Frigga implored, casting a glance around the room at all the curious faces then sparing a sympathetic look for Tony who seemed torn of what to do, of whether he should speak up himself.

"No Frigga, he has been on his high horse for too long and deserves to be taken down a peg or two," Odin said in a quieter voice before allowing it to rise again as he addressed Loki. "You always felt so hard done by when growing up without any reason, always wanted more when we gave you everything and then you got kicked out of school for your stupidness and had the audacity to blame me."

"Of course I blamed you," Loki all but screamed, his fists clenching around his hair until it hurt. "If you hadn't lied to me all this time I would never have had to find out that way. You blame me, you try to blame me for this when it was you trying to get me to keep your secrets just so as not to break my mother's heart."

At this point Tony was pretty sure they were no longer talking about the dancing.

"I did that for our families own good."

"Own good? How is it good when it was me keeping the secret? It wasn't good for me."

"I meant my real family," Odin shouted before he could stop himself. He immediately regretted what he said.

Loki faulted, his mouth opening but no words coming out. His skin paled unnaturally and the bright light in his eyes visibly dimmed. Tony wanted to reach for him but didn't dare.

"Loki, son, I'm sorry, I didn't mean that." He knew it was no good before he had even finished.

"Yes you fucking did," He murmured. "You've wanted to say that for years, haven't you? All this time pretending to like me or even tolerate me but now the truth's out. You hate me, you never wanted me and I suppose that's good because I never wanted you either. I would've rather rot in an orphanage than call a man like you my father. I. Hate. You."

A blur of colour ending with an echoing slap. Loki doubled over clutching his now scarlet cheek. Odin looked shocked by his own actions but didn't appear to regret them. Frigga gasped, reaching for Loki but he stepped away out of her reach.

"Sorry to cut the party short," Odin spoke to his guests. "But we need to leave now. Thankyou for all the kind wishes. Come along Loki, Frigga."

The two followed behind him as he exited into the freezing night air. Tony tried to communicate with Loki but the man kept his head bowed, still holding his face, as he walked past. He wanted to say something but his mind supplied nothing of use. All he could do was stare as Loki silently got into the backseat of his parents' car. Then the car was pulling away, driving off into the night. The outline of Loki was soon swallowed by the darkness.

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><p><em>And we go crash-landing back into angst. Please leave a review and continue to favourite and follow?! :) and a happy birthday to Hannah for tomorrow, the dancing was for you! <em>


	19. Chapter 19

_I would explain all the reasons why this is so late but that would be very boring, although one of them was because I accidentally became obsessed with the show In The Flesh...it's amazing and if you have time please watch it! Now on with the show..._

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><p><span>Chapter 19<span>

He didn't remember how long the argument went on for. Just that when his voice cracked from the strain and Odin worked himself into silence, he quietly left the room and wasn't called back despite not having gotten permission to leave. Up the stairs and into his bedroom, he closed the door and let his body give way.

Though it had been at least two hours since Odin has laid a hand on him, his cheek was still warm and when he glanced the mirror he saw a large red mark hat still hadn't faded. Loki found energy to crawl onto his bed yet not enough to pull the covers around him. His phone started to buzz but he ignored it, not even checking the caller id. He knew who it would be. The ringing soon stopped.

A knock on his door drew his attention. Only one person would knock on his door that lightly and actually wait for an invite inside.

"Loki? Please open the door," Frigga implored in her softest voice.

"It's open," Loki answered, his voice hoarse.

Tentatively Frigga entered, shutting the door behind her and taking a seat beside her son on the bed. For a few minutes there was silence.

"Why didn't you tell me you knew?"

"Odin made me keep quite."

Frigga made a noise in her throat. Whether a sigh or a groan, Loki couldn't tell which. Truthfully he didn't care. He wasn't in any mood to talk or listen. "You could have told me anyway. He was wrong to do that. You got expelled from school for this Loki, I thought I'd raised you well enough that you knew you could come to me about these problems. Why didn't you tell any of your teachers?"

"They would have blamed me. I was kicked out before I even had time to think about anything. I'd played a prank on some of the students that were really up themselves and thought they were so much better than the rest of us. They guessed it was me. Obviously. They wanted to get revenge and so hacked the school files to try and see if they could dig some dirt and, as you can see, they found it." The whole time he spoke in a monotone.

"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry Loki," Frigga breathed, wanting to hug Loki but not knowing if he would appreciate it. She stayed where she was. "That was such a horrible way to find out."

He shrugged in return. It was done now and he'd learned to live with it. Live with being kicked out of school anyway. He doubted he would ever be able to live with the fact that his so called 'parents' had lied to him his whole life. No one should have to suffer that.

"Why didn't you tell me from the start?"

"Because you are our son and we always wanted you to think of yourself as that. I wanted more children, Loki, but I couldn't conceive again. Your father proposed adoption and I jumped at the chance. When I saw you the first time as a tiny baby, wrapped up tightly in a dark blue blanket with your bright green eyes staring at me I just knew. From that moment you were my son and never in all these years have I thought of you as any different."

The urge to stop her, to shout and scream at her was so great and yet he couldn't. There was no more energy in him to fight. He surrendered to her speech, allowing her to work her way into silence. Frigga's thumb brushing across his cheek was what brought his eyes from the floor up to meet hers. He touched his face where she had done and found it wet. He hadn't even realised he was crying.

"I suppose you're on his side," he said, shifting restlessly.

"I don't choose sides, I play devil's advocate. He is my husband, you are my son...it would be wrong to choose a side."

"Except I'm not," Loki muttered, his head bowed.

This time he knew it was a sigh that followed his words. It was cruel to pull on that string, especially after Frigga's speech on how he would always be her son. But he couldn't bring himself to care right now. All he wanted was someone to feel even half of the pain that he was feeling right now. He'd blocked this out for months. Forced it down into the deepest darkest recess of his brain. And now it was free to roam and he couldn't stop it. All his thoughts. All the self hate. All the feelings of never belonging. Of Odin's favouritism. It all made sense now but that didn't mean it hurt any less.

His phone was ringing again. They both stared at the flashing screen until the ringing once again stopped and silence reigned supreme. That was until the ringing started again. This time when it rang out, it only took a few seconds for it to start again.

"You should answer that," Frigga suggested.

"I don't want to talk to him," Loki said stubbornly. He couldn't talk to Tony. What could he say? How could he explain? Tony would want answers but he wasn't ready to give them. It was still too raw.

"He'll give up soon if you don't answer."

"Good, I'm tired of listening to the ringing."

"No I mean he will give up on you. He will think you don't care or can just so easily forget. He is probably worried sick about you right now." She got up from the bed and made her way to the door. "If you don't want to talk about what happened then just tell him. If he is as a decent person as I think he is then he will understand. But call him. Reassure him."

Then she left. He heard her footsteps drifting away down the hall before the rhythmic beat of her feet as she walked down the stairs. Loki looked at his phone sceptically. Seven missed calls. He must really be worried. Taking a deep breath, Loki tapped the call button and waited. Tony picked up almost immediately.

"Loki, shit, are you alright? I called but you didn't answer and I was worried."

Well Frigga had definitely got that right.

"I'm fine," Loki said, hoping it was convincing. It probably wasn't. "Look, I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

There was a long pause. "What?"

"I'm sorry," he repeated.

"Yeah I heard that, but what I meant was why? Why are you apologising? You haven't done anything."

"I..." Loki's voice faded away. He honestly had nothing to say. A noise on the other end of the line drew his attention. "Are you in a car?"

"Yeah," Tony replied. "I'm going somewhere important."

"Sorry, I'll leave you to-"

"I swear to god, if you apologise one more time I might crash this car."

Another apology was on the tip of his tongue, but, with that in mind, Loki swallowed it down. Tony may be super smart but Loki wouldn't put it past him to deliberately crash his car just to prove a point. It was strange that he hadn't actually wanted to talk to Tony at all yet he was now feeling a bit better just from this short, and frankly pointless, conversation.

From the other line he heard the sound of an engine dying, having been switched off. He assumed Tony had reached his important destination.

"Hey, can you turn off your bedroom light then switch it back on?"

"What?" Loki was thoroughly confused. "Why?"

"Just do it, Loki, please."

He did. Getting up from his bed, he flicked the switch on the wall off then on again. Why he was even doing this, he didn't know. Best not to question.

"Okay that's great, now open your curtains and look out the window."

Still thoroughly confused, Loki did as instructed. He pulled back the curtains on either side then stared out the window. He caught sight of him immediately. There was Tony leaning against his car door where it was parked against the curb, phone to his ear and grin on his face.

"I thought you were going somewhere important," Loki said dubiously.

There was a sigh and he frowned up at the window where he could see Loki looking down on him. "Do I really need to explain to you that you are important?"

He shook his head then, realising Tony probably didn't see, he croaked out a "no."

"Good," Tony said. "Now are you coming with me or do you want to stay here?"

A few minutes later Loki was ready to leave. He'd changed his clothes into something more comfortable and sorted his hair so it was falling round his face like it naturally did. He knew if he asked to leave his parent's wouldn't let him. Creeping down the stairs, he stepped quietly past the closed living room door, pausing briefly to see what they were talking about. Him. Obviously. Luckily they were loud enough that he managed to open and close the front door without rousing suspicion.

Outside the air was biting, he jogged over to Tony, wanting to get into his car before his hands gave way to frostbite. It was around eleven o'clock at night and winter. Did he ever really expect it to be warm? When he drew up in front of Tony, he did not expect the man to wrap his arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug. At first Loki was reluctant to return the gesture but then the warmth of Tony seeped into him, warming him despite the cold, and felt himself relax and give in to the wonderful feeling that was his boyfriend.

He hadn't even realised he was crying again until Tony held him even tighter, running his fingers through his hair and muttering nonsense into his ear. Sometime later, he didn't know specifics, Tony guided him into the passenger seat before settling back into the driver's side. As they pulled away, Loki glanced back to his house where the lights were still on. He wondered how long it would take them to realise he was gone. In some ways he really didn't care.

"Rhodey doesn't know I came here to get you. He doesn't know anything, actually," Tony added.

" 'kay," Loki mumbled, not sure if he wanted to talk or not. "Do you think he'll mind me being there?"

"He won't know until tomorrow, he was already in bed when I got home. But he shouldn't do, there's not really any reason to be."

Loki nodded, relieved. For a second he thought Tony was going to turn around and send him away. A stupid thought, he knew, but his thought none the less. Luckily, Tony was still willing to take him in for the night and for that Loki was beyond grateful.

They arrived at his house not long later. It was pitch black by now and they had to use the lights of their phones to find their way. Tony's room was the same as always when the light was switched on after the door had been shut. They both took seats on the bed, unsure of what else to do. Loki was content with just sitting but he could feel Tony's curiosity buzzing in the air around them. However, he remained resolutely silent. He hadn't sat too close to Loki either, on the contrary, there was almost a metre gap between them.

"Um..." Tony began after several minutes of silence. "I'm really not good at this stuff but if it helps, do you...do you wanna talk about it?"

In that moment every single negative feeling that Loki had felt all evening welled up inside of him so strongly that he had no hope of swallowing it down. "No," he cried, though not too loudly that Rhodey would hear. "No I don't want to talk about it," he spat in his most poisonous voice.

It was cruel and he knew it. It was wrong to take his anger and sorrow out on Tony because, in truth, the man had done nothing wrong. Being there for him was all the man had done. Yet here Loki was treating him as though he was the worst possible human in the world at that moment. Loki didn't hate Tony. Of course he didn't. But in that moment he wanted to. He wanted to hate everything about the man who was so calm, just sitting and staring at the ground in silent defeat while Loki himself was a ball of raging emotions. He wanted to shout and scream at him for being so calm when at this moment in time Loki's world felt like it was crumbling around him. No he didn't want to talk about it. Of course he didn't. He wanted to forget. He wanted to be far away where people wouldn't lie to him. He just wanted not to feel. It was too much. Just too much.

At his harsh words and tone, Tony recoiled knowing he had said totally the wrong thing. He wasn't good in these kinds of situations. He was better at maths and science, of fixed things and fixed ways to solve problems. Emotions were a foreign world to him. Shifting backwards, he leant back against the headboard, his head dropping backwards, hitting the wall behind. He watched with trepidation as Loki's expression changed with every passing second while his breathing quickened then evened off into a more natural rhythm.

Slowly, Loki slid off the bed, walked over to the light switch and flicked it off. The only remaining light source was from the street lamps outside, their orange glow illuminating Tony's room through window, whose curtains were not drawn. He then stepped softly back up to the bed and knelt in front of the man on the bed.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, only looking up when he felt a hand on his cheek.

Tony offered him a weak smile, lifting his arms welcomingly. Without hesitation, Loki took the opportunity offered, burying his face into Tony's chest and breathing in his scent while the man rubbed soothing circles over his back.

"I'm sorry," he said again. This time a whisper.

Tony just held him tighter.

* * *

><p>It didn't take long for Loki to fall asleep. Though Tony was happy he had calmed down enough to find some rest, he wasn't in the most comfortable position himself and soon found his arms and legs going numb. Carefully, centimetre by centimetre, inch by inch, he slid out from under Loki, gently so as not to wake him. He felt inside his wardrobe, finding a spare blanket, then moved back to the bed and draping it over Loki who mumbled in his sleep but didn't wake. Tony settled back beside him, running his fingers absently through his hair.<p>

The sound of a phone ringing startled him so badly that he almost fell off the side of the bed. How Loki managed to stay asleep astounded him. Fumbling around, Tony finally found what he was looking for. Loki's phone had obviously fallen out of his pocket and gotten caught up in the bed sheets as it took Tony a while to find. When he did he wasn't surprised to see Loki's mum calling.

Against his better judgement, he declined the call and switched Loki's phone onto silent so that if she called again, which she did, then it wouldn't make too much noise. It was after the sixth call that the phone fell silent and didn't ring again. Tony pitied the woman. She was clearly worried and he could definitely understand why. All she wanted to know was that Loki was safe.

Taking up Loki's phone, he found Frigga's number and sent her a quick text. He explained that Loki was with him and he was safe and currently sleeping and that Tony would drop him home the next day. Less than a minute later he received a reply. He could feel the relief flooding through the message as Frigga expressed her gratitude in every way imaginable. Tony could tell she wanted to bring her son home but knew that for now it was in his best interests to stay away.

As Tony settled down to sleep beside Loki, he couldn't help but be slightly jealous. No matter how much Loki complained about his family and how they weren't really his, there was no denying that there was love there.

He was jostled awake by the man himself the next morning. Loki sat up, staring around blearily obviously trying to piece together the events of the night before. As Tony sat up as well, he watched the man touch his cheek, wincing as he put pressure on the lightly bruised skin.

"Hey," Tony said when Loki finally looked up at him.

"Hi," Loki replied. He hesitated. "I'm sorry about yesterday...I..." Words failed him as he tried to explain exactly why he was sorry or what had happened.

"Don't, it's fine." Tony placed a placatory hand over Loki's own, squeezing it reassuringly.

Loki's phone buzzed with a text. Letting go of Tony's hand, he seized it and read the message. His brow furrowed but for what emotion, Tony didn't know. Loki scrolled up a few texts then let out a disgusted sound and shoved the phone in his pocket. Before Tony could even ask what was going on, he was heading for the bedroom door, clearly not intending to stay a minute longer.

"Hey, where are you going? What's wrong?" Tony called, managing to get in between him and the door before the man could leave.

"What's wrong? You told my mother where I was without my permission and did it using my own phone, again without my permission."

"She was worried about you."

"You had no right!" And Loki was shouting again. This time it wasn't controlled like the previous evening when they feared waking Rhodey. No, this was Loki unleashing his full wrath and Tony was the unfortunate victim. "It is none of your business, you had no right to get involved."

"I get I'm not actually a member of your family Loki but I think I kinda am involved seeing I was there as you and your dad had a huge fight and then he hit you. I was the one who brought you here so don't tell me I'm not involved. Your mum was worried so I helped because it was the right thing to do."

"The right thing to you maybe, but not to me."

This time Loki was too quick for Tony as he managed to dart round him, leaving the door wide open as he hurried off down stairs. Groaning in annoyance and confusion, Tony followed again. He grabbed Loki's wrist as they reached the kitchen, bringing him back round to face him.

"Then what was the right thing?" Tony demanded, letting go of his wrist as Loki wriggled in his grip.

"Not telling her anything. It would only have been one night that I would be missing, it wasn't your place to tell them without even asking me."

"I understand that Loki, I really do," He pleaded, still trying to work out why Loki was so angry with him. "But don't you think it was kinder to her just to let her know that you were okay. I don't think you understand how worried she is."

"Of course I do! I'm not stupid-"

"Then just think for a minute, they're your family."

"But they're NOT!" This time Loki was screaming and Tony was pretty sure that the whole street would hear, not just Rhodey.

"Maybe not biologically but they still love you and took you in. They would never have done that unless they cared even just a tiny bit. Frigga considers you her son and you're a brother to Thor and I don't think that will ever change."

"I don't give a shit about that, the fact that they may or may not love me. It's the lies, I can't take that. They lied for almost eighteen years."

"I get that-"

"No," Loki said shakily, pointing at Tony. "No you don't get it. And do you want to know why?"

Tony was definitely sure he didn't. The glint in Loki's eye was of pure malice and he couldn't tell if this was true and Loki really hated him or it was just a cover for something else. Either way he didn't like it. And he dreaded the man's next words.

"Why?" He asked defiantly, just so that Loki wouldn't think he was backing down, even though he really wanted to.

"Because you have no family. Your parents are dead so you've never experienced anything close to this. You have absolutely. No. Idea. How this feels."

After that he blinked, whether in shock or not, Tony didn't know or care. Luckily he didn't have to question it because a second later Loki had disappeared out the kitchen and then the front door slammed and he was gone. Tony released a very heavy breath, slumping against the wall. He slid down to the floor, resting his forehead on his drawn up knees. He didn't think there were words to actually describe how he was feeling in that moment.

* * *

><p><em>Low blow Loki, very low blow. I wonder what will happen next? Please leave a review?! :)<em>


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"What the hell is going on?"

Tony raised his head from where it had been resting and looked up into the eyes of his frustrated guardian. Really he couldn't blame Rhodey for being angry. It was around seven o'clock on Saturday morning and the man had been working hard all week having taken on some extra shifts.

"Tony?" Rhodey prompted, arms folded over his chest as he frowned down at where Tony was sitting on the floor.

"I..." was all he managed. The words just seemed to leave him. Vanish, along with his emotions. He felt empty but not in a nice light way, more in a heavy way. Something was anchoring him to the floor leaving him with no energy or motivation to move. He'd never had his parents death used against him like that, and hearing it from the one person he was truly starting to care about felt like nothing he had ever experienced before. And he could say now he never wanted it to be again.

Rhodey seemed to pick up on there being something seriously wrong. His expression softened somewhat and he sat down next to Tony, hesitating on whether to rest a hand on his shoulder. In the end he decided against it, Tony didn't look like he wanted to be touched. He decided to start with small questions, asking them one at a time so as not overwhelm the clearly stressed or upset teenager.

"Is everything okay?" It was just a clarifying question. He already knew the answer even before Tony shook his head. "Is it to do with last night?" A nod. "Is it to do with your boyfriend?" Another nod. "Something he said?" Again. "Something you said?" A more hesitant nod this time. At least he was getting somewhere, Rhodey thought. "So, why was Loki here this morning?"

A more difficult question that actually involved words not just a nod or shake of the head. Tony tensed visibly but made no move to talk. After a few beats of silence, he opened his mouth and started to talk. The explanation was brief, Rhodey guessed he was leaving out a lot of detail, yet it was an answer and he couldn't argue with that.

"Loki had a huge fight with his parents, I went to his house to make sure he was okay and he came back with me. He stayed the night then something was done that started an argument then something bad was said and he left." As an afterthought, he added, "Sorry for waking you."

"No worries," Rhodey replied, getting up from the floor. He offered Tony his hand and was relieved when the man accepted it, allowing himself to be pulled to his feet. "Look I'm not gunna offer advise unless you want it because honestly I don't know what to say but you know I'm here if you need me."

"Thanks," Tony whispered with a weak smile.

"Any time, now go get a shower or something and I'll make us some breakfast."

In that moment Tony didn't think he'd ever been more grateful for having Rhodey as his guardian. He did as instructed, heading up to the bathroom where he took a long hot shower, basking in the warmth it brought to his skin. Sitting on the kitchen floor, he hadn't even realised he was cold. After he got dressed in sweatpants and his favourite hoodie – a faded red one – before following the scent of eggs and bacon back to the kitchen.

They ate in relative silence, the clink of their cutlery the only sound that broke it. Tony felt like he should speak but he didn't know what to say. You couldn't just start a random conversation at a time like this. Mindless small talk would only make matters worse and, despite their reassured belief that the silence was comfortable, there was an underlying awareness of the other that created a hint of awkwardness.

"I don't want it to seem like I'm prying but...have you and Loki broken up? Or...?" Rhodey trailed off, opting instead to break the oppressing silence by picking up their empty plates and taking them to the sink.

"Honestly, I have no idea."

Then Tony was on his feet and out of the room. Most teenagers when feeling angsty would lock themselves in their rooms, blast music at the loudest volume their eardrums would permit, crawl into bed and just lay there. Not Tony. When he was feeling in any way emotional he would close off, lock himself in his garage and tinker all day, fix and modify all his appliances, and generally do anything to take his mind off of the things he didn't want to think about. It hurt Rhodey to see him like that. Things had been going so well for him and now this. He really hoped it would work out okay.

* * *

><p>He slammed the door with as much force as he could muster without the threat of shattering the glass. Immediately it drew the attention of every member of his house and, for once, surprisingly, he didn't care. Frigga practically sprinted from the kitchen out to meet him, Odin followed not long after and Thor appeared at the top of the stairs, preferring to stay out the way just in case everything was about to hit off. Loki assumed he had been informed of what had happened the night before.<p>

His parents paused about a metre or two away, unsure of whether they should approach any closer. Odin was very hesitant in the way he moved, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot while, on his left, Frigga abandoned all pretence of pretending not to be relieved that Loki was home. She took a step closer, then another when Loki made no protest. When she was close enough, Loki looked her straight in the eye and something within him just broke. Before their eyes, Loki crumpled; falling into Frigga's waiting arms.

"I fucked up," he said. "I fucked up really badly."

Even with his high standards, Odin couldn't find it within him to scold Loki. He looked so young holding onto his wife that he had to actually remind himself of Loki's age. How could this fragile being in front of him be the person who stood defiantly against him yesterday in front of a room full of people? That was about the moment that it hit him exactly how much Loki had probably been suffering due to his poorly handled situations. The regret washed in and he wished he could take it all back, he wished he could take Loki from Frigga's embrace and hug him himself then have a long and thorough talk to him. He wanted to clear the suffocating air that had been between them for months now. No matter the blood that ran through his veins, Loki was his son. And would remain so for as long as he wanted to be a member of their family.

"What happened? Loki, tell me what's wrong?" Frigga pleaded, trying to make sense of Loki's mumblings.

"I just...I messed up and I don't think I can fix it."

"Of course you can Loki, you haven't messed up anything," she implored, confused, thinking he was referring to the night before. "You need to calm down, come and sit down."

Blindly, Loki followed as she guided him into the living room and sitting him down on one of the sofas.

"Odin, make some tea," Frigga nodded at her husband, gesturing with her head towards the kitchen. He got the hint. She wanted him away for a few minutes so that she could talk to Loki alone. "Please," she added afterwards.

When Odin had disappeared round the corner and was making loud work of preparing the tea, Frigga turned to Loki. She tried to make eye contact but he stared resolutely at the floor, unwilling to look up at her. However, at least she was starting to catch on that the problem was not what had happened the day before. Loki would not have allowed himself to be touched or directed in such a way, no matter how upset he was, if the reason was because of them. He would have argued. Instead, her thoughts fell to the other option to the cause of this sadness. She assumed it must have had something to do with where he had stayed the previous night.

It was after much prompting and patience that Loki finally opened up but even then it was with few words and very little explanation. Odin had long since brought in the tea, handing Loki a mug to which he took without complaint, even managing a 'thank you' in amongst all his silence. He waited until his tea was almost cold before he actually started to sip it. Only a few swallows in, he set it down on the coffee table and didn't pick it up again.

"Tony and I had an argument."

"Right," Frigga nodded, waiting for more information yet hesitant to press him for it. "About what?"

Loki ignored the question, choosing instead to follow his own train of thought. "I said something... that was extremely unfair. I panicked and left and now I think it's too late to fix anything. If it was the other way round, I could never forgive him so how can I expect him to forgive me?"

Well, that was a good question. One that neither Odin or Frigga had the answer to, especially seeing as they were both still confused about the situation, knowing none of the details of what was actually said.

"Look, I'm sure it'll be fine. If he's your friend he will see you're sorry, if not then you can make new friends." Odin was actually quite impressed with himself with that advice. Yet, when both Frigga and Loki stared at him incredulously, he guessed that he'd probably said the wrong thing.

"Tony was...is...was, oh I don't know what we are now, but at the time he was my boyfriend. I'm not so sure now though," Loki added as an afterthought.

"Oh," Odin said stupidly. "I just assumed you kissed him to annoy me."

Again they both stared at him dubiously with expressions that asked why he was saying these words. Frigga rubbed her fingertips over her temple while Loki just sat there contemplating Odin's words with an expression of mixed amazement and incredulity. In spite of the situation, Loki couldn't help but laugh. It was short, only holding a hint of humour and yet it was enough to lighten the mood, if only slightly.

"Seriously Odin, I do wonder how you don't fall down more when you can't even realise something so obvious. There were so many hints, couldn't you guess?" Frigga asked.

He shifted uncomfortably. "Um, apparently not."

That caused her to let out a laugh, taking her husband's hand in hers and squeezing it, as if to say, it's okay you're an idiot sometimes, I still love you.

"I think I'm going to go to my room."

Loki hesitated by the door, turning back to say something then closing his mouth and disappearing silently upstairs. Though he hadn't said anything, both Odin and Frigga were positive that an apology had been very close to being said. Frigga just hoped that, when he did say it, Odin would be there to meet him with his own.

Once upstairs in his room, Loki released a steady breath, thankful that Thor hadn't been there when he reached the landing. Now left alone, he tried to put the situation in perspective. It was true things could be a lot worse, but things could also be a lot better so that really wasn't the best approach to sorting the situation. He guessed that Tony wouldn't want to hear from him and he definitely wasn't going to apologise over the phone. Instead he went for another option. He took up his phone and called a number that he'd never actually called before. He was surprised when the other line was picked up after only a few rings; it was still very early on a Saturday.

"Hi Clint," He said.

"Loki," Clint acknowledged, sounding hesitant. "This is a rare occurrence, what's up?

"Could you do something for me?"

"Yeah, what? Are you sure you're okay, you sound all weird?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure Tony and I aren't together anymore, we had an argument and things were said but anyway...could you please call him or check on him to make sure he's okay? Don't tell him I asked you to, just-"

"I know, make it sound casual," Clint replied, and Loki was thankful he didn't press the matter of what exactly happened. "I'll drop you a text later telling you what's happening."

"Thank you," Loki said, relieved.

He put the phone down feeling slightly better though nothing could fully remove the weight in his stomach. He'd really messed up yet he had no idea how to fix it. Instead of worrying himself over that right now, he collapsed backwards onto his bed and waited for Clint's reply even though it could be a few hours before he answered. As it turned out it wasn't much longer. About an hour later his phone buzzed with a text. He threw himself at it and opened the text, desperate to know what had happened. His eagerness was regretted when he got to the last line of the message.

_I had the time so I dropped round his instead. He seemed okay, a bit quiet. Only problem was he got a bit suspicious why I was suddenly checking on him. Being the smartass he is he guessed I knew what's going on meaning he knows you told me. I tried to say you hadn't really told me anything but he didn't listen. I'm sorry man, really!_

Sort out one problem in your life and another takes its place. Loki dropped his head into his hands and sighed dramatically. Well, so much for apologising, he doubted Tony would even want to be in the same room as him now. He groaned and buried his head into his pillows, willing the world away.

It was quite impressive really, in less than twenty-four hours he'd managed to have a serious conversation with his boyfriend before enjoying a nice evening with him that was subsequently ruined by him accidentally showing affection in front of his adoptive father who didn't approve, to then have a blazing row with him that led to him being slapped in front of his extended family and taken home. He was then rescued by his amazing boyfriend and stayed round his for the night before having an argument with him the next morning, he said something inexcusable and left to later have a fairly civil conversation with his parents. And all this was just the build-up for the climax, the cherry on top of the cake, how he'd basically ensured that he no longer had a boyfriend by asking said boyfriend's best friend to check up on him which just spiralled into disaster.

Loki doubted it could get any worse, and yet, the day was still young.

* * *

><p><em>I'm sorry for being such a terrible person with updates, I PROMISE TO TRY AND GET THEM UP QUICKER FROM NOW ON! Please check out the oneshot I posted recently, it's a frostiron soldier!Au called Under Purple Skies, if you're interested.<em>

_ Thankyou for the continued support (follows, favourites and reviews), you're all amazing, and please leave a review if you can?! _


	21. Chapter 21

_Apologies for the Christmas theme seeing as it is only November :) _

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 21<span>

To say that Monday at school was awful would be an understatement. It felt like torture. That day Loki had triple psychology which just so happened to mean that Tony also had triple psychology to. For so long now they'd made the habit of sitting side by side in the class and Loki was worried that this was going to cause problems. In some ways he hoped that Tony would make the choice to not sit beside him, but instead he was forced to endure three hours beside Tony in total silence. The tension was palpable and Tony was frosty in not only his ignoring but also in his speech to other people. In some very selfish way Loki was pleased to see that Clint was apparently being ignored to. Something that displeased him, however, was that the only people Tony appeared to be speaking to were Bruce and Pepper, someone Loki hadn't seen him speak to in weeks.

He didn't want to be jealous, he really didn't. Yet he was. But only a little. And that was okay, right? That's what he told himself anyway. Did it help to ease his mind or his mood? The answer would probably be a no. It was worth a try though. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk to Tony, he just had no idea what on earth to say and he still wasn't sure if he would be listened to anyway.

After that the days past in slow succession, one after another until the weekend came and Loki finally felt like he could rest. Even if it was just for two days. The week had been exhausting. Not only because of the stuff going on with Tony, but also with exams and how the teachers would not stop talking about them. He knew they were getting closer, why did they have to remind him every freaking day?

It was distinctly unfair how quickly the weekend passed in comparison to the week. Before he knew it, it was a few days from the end of term and his life very much sucked. It had been over two weeks since he and Tony had shared a proper conversation. During their project meetings they obviously had to talk but Tony spoke stonily, never making direct eye contact. Their last meeting of the term was the worst, though.

Everyone was in high spirits because it was so close to Christmas and it was also the last day of school. They were all either singing obnoxious Christmas carols or else throwing sweets around the room or just generally making a lot of noise. It was blatantly clear they weren't going to get much work done. Snow was falling thickly outside the windows and the majority of them were itching to get outside to either, build something resembling a snowman, or else, begin a huge snowball fight that would probably result in injury.

"Hey, earth to Loki."

A hand was waved in front of his face and he blinked, his eyes refocusing on the person to which the hand belonged to.

"Yes 'Tasha?"

"I will forgive you calling me that because of the excuse that you are mourning but in a few weeks don't expect me not to start hitting you if you use it again," She warned, taking a seat on the table beside him.

"Mourning? I'm not mourning," he argued, though he lacked energy to make it convincing.

"Oh is that so? Because I'm pretty sure I keep seeing you glance over at him. I know you think you're being sneaky but you look as sad as a tree and are making no effort to talk to anyone."

"No I...wait, trees don't even look sad."

"They do when they are about to be chopped down."

"Well as long as no one cuts my legs off I think I'm okay."

"Come on," Natasha whined, bumping her shoulder against his. "It's Christmas." And with that she forced a Santa hat on his head before he could stop her.

For a few seconds they both just stared at each other, Loki's expression emotionless. Then his facade cracked and they broke into fits of laughter. Even though the humour was short lived and the moment soon over, it was nice to laugh. It felt good.

"That's the spirit," she smiled. And it was so rare to see a genuine smile from her. He couldn't help smiling back.

She stood up, giving him a kiss on the cheek before heading off towards Clint who met her with a warm smile of his own.

He knew it was stupid to get so cut up over a stupid high school relationship and that he and Tony had only been together a few months but still, as his eyes drifted back over to the man, he couldn't help feel another pang of sadness as he watched him laugh and joke with Steve. Didn't he feel anything either?

Loki wanted him to rage, wanted him to shout and hit him if he needed to, if that would make him feel better. If it would make any of this better. The situation had been fixable at the start. But then Loki had made the mistake of saying something horrible and then making it worse by using Tony's best friend to try to sort it. Even if it was in front of all these people, all of their friends, he didn't think he would mind if Tony shouted. They would all just be thoroughly confused. Hardly any of them even knew about them dating. They'd probably sensed the tension between them already but it had been like that when they'd first met so it could almost be considered nothing new for them.

It was when Pepper trotted over to Tony and was greeted with a loose one-armed hug, he decided that he'd had enough. They were getting nothing done during this meeting anyway so he doubted anyone would miss him. Shouldering his bag, Loki took a quick glance back over to Tony. The other was too busy in conversation to realise he was leaving. Without more hesitation, he left and didn't look back again, not even when he was outside school in the freezing early evening air. Having no car, he set off at a brisk walk down the school steps and out the front gates, turning right and walking in the direction of his home.

* * *

><p>"I need to talk to you."<p>

"What, like right now?"

"Yes now." And without further ado, Darcy grabbed hold of Tony and forcibly dragged him out the room, ignoring the curious and perhaps even concerned stares that followed them.

"Ow ow ow, okay loosen up on the grip a little bit," Tony complained as the door swung shut behind them and he tried to remove her hand from his shirt.

On request, she relented her hold of him. That made Tony smile, though it was only short lived, because when he saw her un-amused expression his smile abruptly slipped away.

"You," she said, jabbing a finger into his chest. "Why are you letting Loki slip away like that?" He tried to answer but she cut him off before he could get even one word out. "You didn't even notice he'd left, did you?"

He actually felt guilt creep up inside him as he shook his head. It wasn't that he didn't want to sort this mess out with Loki, he just had no idea where to start. He may have accidentally started this mess, but he had not been the one to react badly and he had not been the one to his best friend to check up on him. That was all on Loki.

It seemed that Darcy didn't need him to answer in order for her to keep berating him. "I don't know what happened between you two but you need to sort it out or you're going to lose him."

"It's not really your business anyway," Tony said, as politely as he could manage. Damn her for being so attentive to people.

"When you hurt my friend it is."

"Aren't I your friend too? And don't go thinking he's all innocent in this," Tony snapped back. "He hurt me to."

Darcy's expression seemed to soften at that. She rested a hand on his shoulder, not a condescending way, more a gesture of friendship. Of kindness.

"Look," She said, her tone lowering. "I get you're pissed off at him and I'm pretty sure he gets that too, he looks pretty pissed off at himself to be honest. Anyway," she shook her head to get back on track. "The point is you need to talk to him at least. You need to sort this out. So what if you didn't start it," Stopping Tony's protests before he could start. "I don't care if you did absolutely nothing wrong. If you don't want to date him anymore at least bloody tell him so." Tony opened his mouth to talk again but she held up her hand to silence him one last time. "He just left, maybe if you hurry you can catch him, and if not, there's always tomorrow."

Then she gave him a reassuring smile before brushing past him to re-enter the noisy classroom filled with exuberant teenagers. Tony was left standing in the empty corridor, not quite sure of what to do. Did he want to still date Loki? Of course he did. Did he even think they had broken up? Hell no. He just assumed it was a stupid fight but apparently, at least according to Darcy, it was something more than that. He thumped his head against the wall. See and this is why he didn't do relationships. They were always so complicated.

Still he supposed he should follow her advice. He may not be good with feelings or whatever but at least he could recognise when they needed to be discussed. Making the decision, he hurried towards the front door and out into the ice-cold air. It took him a minute to locate Loki, and when he did he thought that he wouldn't be able to catch him seeing as he was already rounding the corner, exiting through the school gates. He tried to run after him but the path was icy. He slipped and slid as he made his way out of the school grounds.

Some kids were messing around on the opposite side of the street, playing around in the fresh snow. They seemed to be in the midst of an intense snowball fight. Unfortunately they grew bored of throwing them just at each other so decided to look for a more entertaining target. Tony guessed what was going to happen only a second before it did leaving him hopeless to stop it. They all turned, five of them, and aimed at Loki. Three made direct body hits while the others only brushed his sides. Still collectively they did enough to disorientate the man enough to make him slip and go crashing to the ground. The kids erupted with laughter, clutching each other for support.

"Hey, what the fuck is wrong with you?" he yelled at them.

"Didn't do nothing," one of them replied with a smirk.

"Yeah right, why don't you piss off?"

The kid made a rude hand gesture then gestured to his friends who followed him as he headed off down the street. Tony shook his head. Kids these days. Then, remembering why he was there, he jogged over to Loki, who was still on the ground, though at least sitting now.

"Need a hand," he said, offering Loki his hand.

Loki looked up at him then at his offered hand. To Tony's relief, he took it and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet.

"Thanks," he muttered, brushing some of the snow off his jacket and out of his hair. For a moment they both just stood there staring at each other, yet not quite meeting the other's eye.

"Loki, I-" Tony began but was cut off for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

"Don't worry about it."

"What?"

"Look, I...I don't mind...just, don't worry, okay. Everything's fine."

Then he turned on his heel and walked away.

"Hey, Loki, wait," Tony called after him.

He didn't understand what Loki meant but he really wanted to find out. See and this is why he didn't do feelings. He did complicated in the form of science problems and mathematical equations, not the meaning behind someone else's words. He wasn't Shakespeare. He wasn't Byron. He didn't know anything.

"It doesn't matter," Loki said firmly, turning back to face him.

"What doesn't? Loki, I don't understand, you're not making any sense."

"If it's worth anything, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what I said."

Then he started off down the street again and this time Tony didn't stop him. He was now even more confused than he had been before and was pretty sure he hadn't even made the situation any better. On the contrary, he felt worse. Was that even possible? Apparently so.

He scrubbed his hands over his face, taking a deep breath in. When he released it, his breath came out in a white stream that dissipated into the air, no longer visible. The best thing to do would probably have been to go back inside, spend some time with his friends and question Darcy on exactly what was going on and what he should do next. Instead, he pulled out his car keys, found his car in the dark car park and drove home.

For the last day of term, he thought when he closed the front door behind himself, it had been completely lousy. It was a shame really considering the start of the school year had begun with such promise.

* * *

><p>Just a few days later it was Christmas and Tony could honestly admit that he hadn't tried to contact Loki once. Yes, he was a terrible person for not at least trying. He could have texted, he could have phoned, he could have even dropped round. He knew where Loki lived and it's not as though he was strapped for time. All he did was sit in his garage all day, tinkering with his projects or taking apart and fixing one of his three motorbikes. His homework wasn't exactly priority seeing as he could do it in his sleep (not meaning to brag), he could probably do it a day or two before the school holidays ended and still get full marks on it all.<p>

A week later it was New Year and boy was that a night to remember. Having not been able to convince Rhodey to hold a party, Clint had stepped up to do it instead. Pretty much their entire year and extras had been invited. Luckily Clint's next door neighbour was also in their year so they made an agreement to sort of collaborate for the party meaning both their houses were used, that way neither got too overwhelmed with the amount of people.

There was no dress code, no specific rules except bring your own alcohol and anything you break you pay for. They were simple and effective, having been laid down by Clint's parents before they left for a weekend away with distant relations. He'd just been happy that he hadn't had to go along with them. Instead he got to spend New Year with his friends, best friend and girlfriend. Hopefully a good start to the year, at least, that's what they all hoped for.

Tony arrived just after eight having been able to convince Rhodey to give him a lift. He'd already arranged with Clint that if he helped set up then he could crash at his for the night. After all, drinking and driving was illegal. Natasha was already there and was the one who opened the door to him after he knocked. The party wasn't technically due to start until nine, though people would continue to arrive throughout the evening. As soon as he graced the kitchen with his presence Clint set him to work putting up some last minute decorations while the man himself continued to blow up balloons.

"Why do we even need balloons?" Tony questioned, tying the end of one that Clint had handed him.

"Because they're fun," he replied, as though it was the simplest answer in the world.

Tony took advantage of his lapse in concentration to hit him around the head with the balloon. Clint had a point, these were quite fun. That, unfortunately, escalated into an all out balloon war that culminated with Natasha using a hair pin to pop the majority of the balloons, leaving them both whining and grumbling like children.

At around nine-thirty people actually starting arriving and, an hour later, the house was full of loud music and laughter. The furniture in Clint's living room had been moved to the sides to allow for a makeshift dance floor, the large kitchen a place to refill their cups and everywhere else as just places to chill and escape from the blaring noise from the other room. Despite it being midwinter the garden was occupied with a good number of people, namely the ones who were smart enough to bring some kind of jacket or coat.

"I'll see you in a bit," Natasha said to Clint after checking her phone.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"Loki's here, I'm going to go and meet him with a drink, try to loosen him up."

"He needs loosening?" Tony said casually, trying for a nonchalant approach but not really pulling it off.

"Yes, family drama and other stuff..." she replied, drifting off at the end and not making eye contact. Tony got the point, the 'other stuff' meaning his rather complicated relationship with Loki at the moment. "Anyway," she continued. "My aim is to at least get him laughing by the end of the night and I thought what better way than to get him at least mildly tipsy yet refrain from getting him flat out drunk."

"Good plan," he commented.

"Yes well," Natasha said with a sly look. "We all know what happens when he gets drunk when you're around. Hey, if it happens again, you never know, it might solve this petty communication issue between you two."

"Yes because ending up naked in bed together solves all the world's problems."

"It could solve this one, you'll have to wait and see."

With that she winked at him and left the room, both men staring after her as she went.

"I honestly can't decide if you dating her is the best or worst decision you've ever had."

"I'm gunna say best," Clint laughed, handing him a drink. "I'm always one for optimism."

That made Tony snort with laughter as he downed the drink. "Either way, I'm not sure whether she's left me terrified or strangely exited about tonight."

"Let's go find out," Clint said and proceeded to shove him unceremoniously out of the room and in the direction of the front door. Which also happened to be the direction that led to Natasha. And, of course, Loki.

* * *

><p><em>And a well done to me for updating fairly quickly...who's excited for the next chapter? Please review?! :)<em>


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

The fact that when Tony laid eyes on Loki he looked amazing really bothered him. Why did he have to look so attractive when Tony couldn't even walk over and kiss him? Life sucked. When Loki saw them approaching, he smiled and greeted Clint before shifting his gaze over to Tony. They sort of stared at each other for a few seconds until Natasha jogged Loki, bringing his attention back to her. The two then disappeared into another room, again leaving Tony and Clint alone together.

"Dude you either need to move on or sort this shit out because I swear to god I can't take another week of your puppy dog eyes every time you see him."

Tony glared at Clint. "I'm working on it." And with that he disappeared to, leaving Clint standing by himself.

He'd made the decision that he would talk to Loki that night even if he had to lock them in the same room together. Yes he knew he was terrible with words and feelings, and putting feelings into words but he had to try, right? If you want something, you work for it. And he wanted Loki. He wanted them to sort out this shit between them so they could actually act like a proper couple for once. Even if that meant telling everyone. Tony was ready. He could deal with the dicks who wouldn't be cool with it. What he couldn't deal with was more time without Loki. He missed him.

For a while he chilled with Steve and Bruce thinking that it wouldn't be very smart to corner Loki so soon into the party. At least let it get into full swing so they could slip away and remain hopefully undisturbed when they talked.

When Darcy arrived with Jane, Steve was dragged away to dance leaving Bruce and Tony alone. Thor came to join them for a while but left when Jane said she needed to speak to him. That sounded ominous, Tony thought to himself as he watched the pair depart. She didn't look unhappy though so he assumed it was nothing too serious.

It seemed that Loki had disappeared off the face of the earth because, when Tony actually started trying to find him, he couldn't locate him anywhere. He even asked Natasha but she hadn't seen him in a while either. Feeling a little downtrodden, he headed back towards the kitchen where most people passed through at least once every half an hour. He assumed that if he was going to find Loki, that would be the best place to start. On his way, though, he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. Turning he came almost face to face with Pepper.

"Hey Tony," She greeted with a smile.

"Hey Pep, enjoying the party?"

"Yeah it's cool, I've been looking for you for ages. Where've you been?"

"Just around, the music's really loud so I took a break outside."

Technically it wasn't a lie; he did go outside but only to look for Loki, not to escape the noise. Though, now that he thought about it, the music was extremely loud. He could barely hear himself talking, or Pepper for that matter.

"Sorry, what did you say?" He asked loudly having realised that Pepper had been speaking but he hadn't heard a word of it.

"I said..." again her words were lost due to the immense volume of the music.

"Can you please just repeat that one more time?" Tony asked, being polite as possible. He hated asking people to repeat themselves.

Just to make sure he actually heard her this time, he leant in close so their faces were almost brushing together. Yes, if someone walked past it probably looked like a) they were about to kiss, or b) they already had. And, of fucking course, because life's a bitch and the world apparently hates Tony Stark, Loki chose that moment to leave the kitchen. As he turned he was met with the sight of the two standing exceptionally close, faces centimetres apart. For a second or two he just stared, expression flashing through different emotions at an alarming rate. Anger, hurt, regret, sadness, betrayal, defeat. Then he was gone, pushing through the hallway packed with people.

Without a second thought Tony followed, ignoring Pepper as she called after him. It barely took any time for him to fight his way through to Loki yet it was much harder from him to actually communicate with him. In the end he grabbed hold of his wrist and pulled hard enough to make him turn.

"What?" Loki snapped.

"We need to talk. Now," Tony said, looking around for somewhere they could go. A place where he could actually hear himself think because the music was so damn loud he could barely form one thought. "Up here," he gestured upstairs.

Not really waiting for a reply he dragged Loki upstairs and into a dark room. Clint's bedroom. He shut the door and switched on the light. Now they were alone. And it was quiet. Well, quieter. And he had no idea what to say. Fuck. Though at least Loki was there. Tony was surprised he had followed and allowed himself to be told what to do.

"What? What do you want, why did you drag me up here?"

"Because we need to talk. Should we sit down, maybe we should sit down." He knew he was babbling but couldn't quite stop himself. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he watched as Loki remained where he was. "Fine, look, if you don't want to sort this out then go. If talking to me causes you that much strain then go, that'll be it, okay?"

Loki didn't move. Thank god.

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Are you kidding me?" Tony laughed.

"No," Loki snapped again, eyes blazing. "I'm not kidding. I'm not playing games. All I want is to know is if it is a recent thing or whether it was going on while we were."

Now Tony was thoroughly confused. "I don't understand. What thing?"

"Don't play games, Tony." This time when he spoke it was without venom, without much emotion really. Loki just looked resigned...and like he was about to cry but Tony tried to block that thought out.

"I'm not playing games Loki," He replied, lowering his voice to a softer tone. "I just-"

"You dating her," Loki suddenly erupted. "I just want to know if you started dating Pepper while we were together or whether it was after, or whether I was just some extra on the side, like an experiment or something."

Well that was definitely not what Tony was expecting to hear. And yes, he was sure at this point that Loki was really trying to hold back tears. He was awful with emotions, something they had already agreed upon, and now this situation was getting out of hand. It was supposed to be a simple discussion to clear the air. Now it had turned into something much more complicated.

Him dating Pepper. Really? Now that he thought about it he could understand where Loki would get that idea from but why would he believe it? They were still dating. At least Tony considered them to be. It seemed, however, Loki did not. This was vast becoming a problem that far rose above his skill set at being dealt with.

"Oh my god, you can't be serious! I'm not dating Pepper," he insisted with as much force as he could muster without sounding rude or angry. "I was still under the impression that you and I were together. No you are not something extra and I'm very sure you're not a damn experiment. I like you Loki. I like you. I wouldn't have asked you to be my boyfriend if that wasn't the case."

"But-"

"No. I'm serious, one-hundred per cent." He paused for a moment. "I am kinda starting to worry right now though...you really don't trust me do you?"

Loki's eyes widened as he stumbled to answer. "I do trust you, I do. It's just that, after all this stuff that's happened, which I made significantly worse without actually meaning to, I didn't think you'd even care anymore. Why bother with someone so awful and worthless when you can have someone else so easily who is so obviously better for you?"

"I can't believe you're really saying these words. Pepper is not better for me, or even good for me. Yes we used to sorta date but that's past and you're present. I like you and that's that. And if that's not enough then I'll make it clearer. Loki, you're smart, you make me laugh. I could talk to you for months and still not know everything about you. You're dramatic." Loki snorted at that. "You're very attractive and sexy as hell. You were my sexuality crisis and yet were so amazing I didn't even care. You haven't pushed me or made me feel uncomfortable. It's really a shame we're both terrible at relationships but it's something we've gotta deal with in a better way than ignoring each other. I want this to work because I want you and so really this is just me apologising for being a dick and to convince you that you are important. And know if you ever call yourself worthless again I will be forced to do another one of these shitty speeches." There was silence again within the room. Loki just stared at him, mouth slightly open as though he wanted to speak yet wasn't quite sure what to say. "Okay...you're not saying anything and I don't honestly know if you're about to laugh or cry so is it okay if I kiss you so that I don't have to find out?"

Before he could even take a step closer, Loki had already closed the distance between them, kissing him without hesitation.

"I'm sorry too," Loki muttered against his lips. "I've been really stupid."

"No more sappy shit now, all I need right now is for you to kiss me again."

Loki complied happily with his request. With his hands on either side of Tony's neck, he guided the man into another kiss. It was a long time before they separated again. He allowed one hand to creep up into the back of Tony's rich brown hair while the other held its place on his neck. Tony's own first landed on his hips, pulling Loki flush against himself. Soon after they started to wander, one stayed on the small of his back while the other brushed up his sides then slipped under his shirt, running over Loki's pale skin. Letting out a small gasp at the contact, Loki deepened the kiss. Tony ran his tongue along Loki's bottom lip, asking permission to enter, and, when granted, started exploring his mouth.

Not much longer they found themselves lying on the bed, totally uncaring of the fact that it was Clint's. Their friend really wasn't the thing on their minds at that moment in time. The thing actually occupying their brains was how to remove each other's shirts as quickly as they could. A minute later they were stripped of their shirts that were left to just drop to the floor.

"Maybe we should-" Loki began but was cut off by Tony's lips on his.

When Tony pulled back he said, "for once just be quiet. No questioning or over thinking, please?"

To his surprise Loki nodded then reared up to steal a quick kiss. As he drew back, he smiled cockily up at Tony, who was straddling his waist.

"And what are you going to do to make me be quiet?" Loki smirked, a challenging tone to his words.

Fine if he wanted to play games, Tony was happy to comply. Taking his time, he worked his way down from Loki's lips, placing kisses all over the column of his neck, sucking at the base to leave a bruise. When he ran his tongue over the spot to sooth it Loki let out a moan which made Tony hesitate where he was. That had probably just been the hottest noise he'd ever heard and damn he wanted to hear it again.

Making it his mission to get Loki to make more of those delicious noises, he set to work. For a while he just hovered over him, taking in the perfect picture of Loki below him. Despite the darkness Tony could still see his flushed cheeks and swollen lips, hear his rapid breaths, feel his erratic heartbeat when he ghosted his fingers over his chest.

Sudden shouting erupted downstairs, accompanied by whoops and cheers. Both Tony and Loki jumped, sitting up and staring at each other. Tony checked the time and, sure enough, there were four zeros on the clock.

"Well I guess we missed the whole romantic midnight kiss thing. Ah well, happy New Year anyway."

Laughing lightly, Loki rolled his eyes as he said, "Happy New Year."

For a moment they just sat there, both very much shirtless and now very much confused as of what to do.

"You know, I really don't feel like going down to join those guys. How's about we stay up here and celebrate New Year alone?"

It seemed Loki was very enthusiastic for that plan. In a flash he had Tony flat on his back while he hovered above him, pupils dilated. And, in no time at all, he had Tony in just the same state, moaning softly into a kiss while Loki slowly rocked his hips against him. This was the furthest they had gotten in any sexual situation yet neither of them was willing to stop it now.

Still, Tony was feeling at a disadvantage. Not that he didn't love Loki's hands on his skin, nimble fingers working up over his chest closely followed by his lips, he missed being the one doing it to Loki. Without warning, he flipped their positions, leaving Loki once again beneath him.

"That's cheating," Loki said, feigning annoyance.

"Aww poor baby," Tony mocked, leaning in and nipping on the man's bottom lip. Shifting his lips to Loki's ear, he whispered, "Who said I ever play fair?"

A small shiver ran down Loki's spine at that and effectively shut him up, allowing Tony to take charge. He honestly had no idea how far they would go, though he doubted it would be all the way. That would be a bit extreme and he wasn't entirely sure that this was the situation that he wanted to have his first time with Loki in. Anyhow, they could still take full advantage of this moment seeing as it had been so perfectly presented to them.

Growing bored of not being the centre of Tony's attention anymore as he seemed too lost in thought, Loki thrust his hips up harshly catching the man off guard. Tony moaned, ashamed that Loki was able to get such noises out of him so easily.

"Now look who's cheating."

"That's not cheating," Loki blinked up at him innocently. "This is though."

Slowly, so Tony could see exactly what he was doing, he brushed his hand down the man's side, over his navel, settling on his groin. He didn't break eye contact once and only proceeded when he received a nod from Tony. He sat up, shifting slightly into a better, more comfortable position than just being flat on his back. Bringing up both hands this time he made quick work of unzipping Tony's jeans and slipping his right hand inside. He began to stroke the man through the fabric of his underwear, watching his face intently for any signs of unease. Thankfully, though, all he received was a stutter in his breathing and Tony's eyes briefly flickering closed. A definite sign that he was enjoying the ministrations.

There was suddenly a loud noise outside and the closed door was thrown open, flooding the dark room with yellow light. Quick reflexes kicking in, Loki withdrew his hand while the two remained on the bed frozen in horror, waiting in trepidation to see who had entered. The light was flicked on and then-

"Seriously you two? You couldn't even wait till another night? Christ I'm all happy you're back together but really? On my bed?"

Both Tony and Loki released huge breaths that they had been holding, sagging against each other in relief as Clint continued to hold his hands over his eyes. When he felt it safe enough, he peaked between his fingers to glare at the two, specifically Tony who was still straddling Loki.

"Tony, man, you're supposed to be my best friend. I would never do this on your bed, I'm gunna have to burn the sheets." He started to look around the room as though trying to find a fire already burning for his needs.

"Quit whining," Tony groaned at him, finally moving off of Loki. "It's not like I was fucking him...or him fucking me." He added after a look from Loki. The man just smiled at that but made no comment.

"Dude I don't need details. Put your shirts back on and go downstairs. You two are banned from coming upstairs for the rest of the party and you now have to be accompanied by another of our friends whenever you are together.

"Seriously?" Tony asked, buttoning up his shirt.

"Yes," Clint smiled at him. "And if you don't think you can handle that then go home and finish whatever it was that you two started."

"Spoil sport," Tony muttered childishly.

"Don't worry, he's just jealous because we were having more fun up here than down at his party," Loki chimed in rewarding him an unimpressed look from Clint.

"Ha ha you two are so funny," he said sarcastically. "I think I preferred you when you were fighting."

Tony pulled a face at him yet chose to make no further comment. If he had they would have just gotten themselves into a vicious yet childish circle of petty insults. In the end Loki suggested that they all just go back downstairs then proceeded to take a step in the direction of the door.

"Hey wait a second," Tony called, grabbing the man's hand and turning him back round to face him.

Before Loki could form another thought, Tony's lips were on his and the world melted away, accompanied by a huff from Clint. To his disappointment it didn't last long. Though what made him feel better was the fact that Tony didn't seem too pleased to end it either.

There was an unexpected flash from the side causing them both to jump and blink, momentarily blinded. Looking towards the door – once their ability of sight had returned to them – they saw Darcy standing with a wide smile on her face and a phone in her hand.

"Sorry, couldn't resist snapping a picture. It's pretty cute actually," she said, admiring her screen. "I'll send it to you, if you want," she added when Tony went over to look.

"You weren't lying, we do look cute," he laughed, smiling across the room at Loki who returned it.

"We are digressing from the point," Clint suddenly piped up. They all stared at him in confusion, having seemingly forgotten that he was there. None of them said anything, either because they'd forgotten what the point was or they were just being difficult, no one would ever know. "Get the hell out of my room." And in one swift move he ushered them all out and shut the door.

The rest of the night, or rather early morning, went without a hitch. The only downside for Loki and Tony was that they couldn't just sit on a sofa and make out for the remainder of the party. One because outing themselves in that way would probably not be a smart move (despite how fun it would be), and two, Clint would most likely end up decapitating them both. Still, all in all, it had been a great start to the year. They had successfully reconciled which was all either of them had wanted in the first place, they were just awful at saying as so.

When Loki was dragged home by Thor at three in the morning, Tony was left alone and sulky with Clint who would not stop berating him for nearly sleeping with Loki on his bed. No matter how much he reassured his friend that that would never have happened he still carried on, rant after rant. In the end Tony had had enough and the argument culminated with himself shouting at Clint that if he ever had the urge to fuck Natasha while they were at his house then they both had full permission to the use of his bed (provided that he was not sleeping in it himself at the time). To his surprise, Clint accepted those terms and fell silent a second later, a large smile on his face. Tony was pretty sure he didn't want to know what was going on in his head to have caused such a smile. Either way, it only took him a second himself to think of Loki before he too had a similar smile curl itself onto his face. Yes, he thought, this year was going to be great.

* * *

><p><em>Possibly one of my favourite chapters so far...leave a comment with your own thoughts please if you can and thankyou for reading! :)<em>


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

With such a positive start to the New Year it was hard to see how it could get any better. Yet somehow it did. Thor wasn't exactly helpful. Jane had let slip to him that they were back together that resulted in him capturing Loki in a suffocating embrace that left Loki trying to squirm free while Tony looked on in fits of laughter. Afterwards he had sustained a harsh shove that left him stumbling in the middle of the street. He scrambled to steady himself, dragging Loki into his body for support. It is safe to say it ended up turning into a make out session that had Thor almost forcibly removing Tony from his brother.

"Leave them Thor," Jane chided him.

"Yeah leave us Thor," Tony mimicked when the two broke apart.

"I just wish you wouldn't do that in front of me. I don't like to think about what you do to my brother when I'm not around."

Both Jane and Tony started to laugh while Loki looked on disapprovingly at Thor.

"Look can we just go, I'm freezing," Loki grumbled, fixing his eyes on Tony.

"Yep sorry babe, see you guys later."

Having a free last period led to them making some plans together for a few hours. Since Christmas was over their workload had increased dramatically. Apparently the teachers needed to give them a constant reminder of their impending exams by filling all their available time with homework or revision. Still, Tony and Loki had agreed that they had at least a few hours to spare and so decided to spend them with each other.

Thor had insisted on giving Tony the 'big brother' talk as they left school together saying it was his duty to protect his brother now that they seemed to have worked out their differences and were finally in a semi-stable relationship. For the entirety of his speech Tony had to hold back laughter, firstly due to the words that were actually coming out of Thor's mouth and secondly because Loki and Jane both took it upon themselves to try to distract him as much as they possibly could just to try and make him crack. Luckily, though, he escaped before his internal hysterics turned into actual laughter.

"Don't be late for dinner!" Thor called after them as they jogged away in the direction on Tony's car.

Loki shouted back some form of an answer that Thor assumed was a 'yes' or 'I won't.' Satisfied, he took Jane's hand and proceeded to walk her home.

It was a few hours later when he was spread-eagled across his sofa cushions at home that he heard the front door open and close. He knew it was Loki, who else could it be? And with such silent footsteps there was no one else it could be. Unless it was some kind of axe murderer because he assumed that they too had quiet footsteps. But still, his assumption remained that it was Loki because he very much doubted that an axe murderer would enter his house politely through the front door.

"Loki you're home," Thor stated when Loki finally entered the room.

"No kidding," Loki replied sarcastically. "Who did you expect it to be, an axe murderer?"

The blond couldn't help grinning widely at that. They may have different parentage but there was no denying there were brothers despite Loki's continued insistence.

"What are you smiling about?"

"Nothing," Thor shook his head, still smiling.

Loki just rolled his eyes and dropped onto the opposite sofa. Whipping his phone out, he sent off two texts and received one back almost instantly. This time it was his turn to smile, though he tried to hide it at least.

"And what are you smiling at?" Thor said, attempting to mimic Loki's earlier tone.

"Nothing," Loki snapped, dropping his phone down on the cushion next to him.

Yes, maybe not by blood, but they were brothers through and through.

* * *

><p>Dinner began as subdued as it usually did. Odin sat at the head of the table, eating quietly and speaking to no one. Frigga sat beside him, next to Loki, and Thor sat opposite them, eating with gusto that none of the others possessed. Light conversation was shared here and there, mostly just comments on how delicious the meal tasted or what they had been up to that day. Nothing engaging. Nothing interesting.<p>

That was until...

"Thor, how are you and Jane? You haven't invited her round recently."

The blond in question glanced up from his plate, swallowing thickly. "We're fine, I walked her home after class today. She has been quite busy with studying that we haven't had much time to make plans. She wants to be an astrophysicist."

"A very worthy profession, I hope she does well." Thor nodded and smiled, happy to be able to focus back on his plate. "When she has time though, don't hesitate to invite her round. She is always welcome."

To everyone's surprise, Thor stopped eating and looked directly at Odin when he said his next words. "I'm afraid I don't want to. At least, not until Loki is just as free to bring Tony home as I am to bring Jane."

Simultaneously, Loki and Odin dropped their cutlery as the tension in the room increased until it was almost suffocating.

"You idiot," Loki hissed at Thor. "I told you not to tell them."

"Tell us what, that you and Tony are back together? I already guessed myself." That came as news to Loki and he stared at Frigga in surprise, who just shrugged. "A mother always knows." Then she smiled widely.

Odin had remained resolutely silent so far. But his temper was running thin, particularly when everyone silenced themselves and turned towards him. Obviously they were waiting for his final word on the matter. Well this could only end badly, it usually did anyway. However, it was still a surprise that this had actually been caused by Thor who usually was reserved in these situations. Apparently even he had had enough of Odin's terrible parental decisions.

It wasn't so much that Loki had been seeing Tony again that annoyed him, but more the fact that everyone knew except for him. Frigga had guessed. GUESSED. How had he not? And even if he hadn't, why hadn't she told him? Then he noticed Loki's awkward shifting, the man's gaze faltering to stare instead at the oak table where his dinner was now most likely cold. Frigga too looked the same, somewhat more hesitant to keep looking at him. But why? Then it hit him, they were scared, nervous at what he may say or do. His family shouldn't look at him like that, Odin told himself. It wasn't right. He wanted to change it but that involved facing the harsh reality that he was, in fact, the problem. He had been the cause of all these problems, the catalyst of all these troubles.

In a strained, yet steady voice, Odin finally spoke. "Loki is as welcome as you are Thor to bring his friends home or...in fact..." he swallowed hard before continuing. "His boyfriends...or girlfriends. Whoever he happens to be in a relationship with, they are welcome at this table just as you all are."

Anyone else would have been offended by the utter shock on all their faces, seemingly so surprised by his words, but Odin knew better. He deserved this shock. He deserved the pain from the realisation that he had messed up. At least now he realised that he had time left to make amends. It would take some time but he could be patient. To gain back to the trust and love from both of his sons, he would give all the time they needed.

"Thankyou."

The whispered word came from Odin's left and he looked over to see Loki's eyes on him, a small smile playing on his lips. He nodded in reply accompanied by his own smile.

"Now let's eat, too much time was spent on this meal to let it get too cold and inedible."

They all were quick to comply, realising it as the queue to begin pretending that this heartfelt moment hadn't happened. Neither Odin nor Loki were the type to want a moment like this be dwelt on. It was better to be remembered silently and come back to the memory whenever things were difficult again. It would serve as the reminder that things could get better. That people can change.

Dinner followed its usual silent route after that, though the tension was somewhat lax. The ever present veil of tension had dissipated leaving a pleasant silence in its wake. They may not have been talking but it was a start. It was progress. And Loki felt comfortable eating at the table for the first time in years. That was definitely progress.

Afterwards, as normal, Loki still wanted to escape to his room. One, because his warm bed was waiting for him and currently he was freezing and no amount of jumpers could cure that. Two, he had mountains of work to because of exams. And three, he really wanted to message Tony because why the hell not? Unfortunately, he was prevented from fulfilling his plans by his mother somehow talking him into an evening spent in the living room, watching a truly awful movie while Thor laughed hysterically every other minute.

Loki understood the importance of 'family time' and recognised this as simply another of Frigga's attempts at bringing them all together. He had to admit it was a fairly smart option. It didn't involve much talking or paying attention to each other and, of course, the best part, they got cool snacks to nibble on as they watched. And ultimately it wasn't too bad. Almost two hours later it was over and he was able to go back to his room uninterrupted.

It could have been a lot worse, Loki reassured himself as he finally got around to texting Tony. Maybe he could bare this whole 'family bonding' thing after all.

* * *

><p>"This is a terrible idea," Loki said.<p>

"This is an awesome idea," Tony laughed.

They both sat in Tony's car, side by side, staring at the building in front of them and the large expanse of woodland that lay beyond.

"It was yours wasn't it?" Loki asked, knowing full well that only Tony could come up with an idea such as this.

"Maybe," he cackled, throwing the door open and walking off towards the entrance.

Grumbling something, Loki followed close behind, closing the door of the car with slightly more force than was actually necessary. The others were waiting outside as well, waving and smiling as they got closer.

"Ready?" Clint called excitedly, practically bouncing from where he stood.

"Let's get this over with," Loki replied, pushing the door to the wood panelled building open and holding it so the others could enter the surprisingly dark room as well.

"He seems cheerful," Clint laughed, avoiding the foot that was casually left for him to trip over as he walked past Loki.

"That's because he doesn't like competitions. That is, he doesn't like them unless he can ensure that he will win."

Both Clint and Tony chuckled as Loki glared daggers at them before letting the door swing shut with a snap. Then he marched over to Natasha and refused to speak to the others until the instructor told them to organise themselves into teams.

It was Clint's birthday and he had said to Tony that, because he was turning eighteen, he wanted to do something he'd never done before. After much discussion, they had agreed that paintballing was something fun to go with. One because Tony was totally shocked because Clint had never been and two because he was then completely baffled when he discovered that no one else had been paintballing either out of their close friends. After that it had been decided. Luckily his actual birthday fell on a Saturday meaning they could spend their afternoon shooting at each other for fun all in the name of birthday festivities.

An instructor had come to join them not too much later, signing in the group to make sure it was their booking. Then they were given a tutorial on how the guns worked and what they fired and such before having a serious lecture about safety. Finally, after all of the procedure bits and pieces were complete they were finally released into the woods. They'd split into two teams, Darcy, Loki, Clint, Tony and Jane on one and Steve, Natasha, Thor, Bruce and Pepper on the other. They were set up on different games and activities throughout the afternoon. The rules being you can't shoot someone too close up, keep all shots from the shoulders down and three direct shots and you're out of the game. The last team with members still standing were the winners.

The first to be fully removed from the games was usually Bruce after being struck consecutively one after another. He didn't seem too bothered. Not like when Clint managed to nab Natasha after she had avoided being hit multiple times. After she had been struck once, bright blue paint exploding over her right thigh, it seemed like a war had begun between them and everyone may have started to take the games a little too seriously.

In the end when the instructor had run out of games for them to play, they were free to waste their last bullets however they liked. If you got hit you weren't out, you just had to keep on shooting until all yours bullets were gone. Loki practically cackled when he took a well aimed shot that struck Tony directly in the back causing him to stumble over onto his knees from the force of it. Taking pity on him, Loki went over and offered him a hand to help him up. He took the opportunity to whisper in Tony's ear, "I'm starting to like the thought of you on your knees," as he pulled him to his feet.

Tony stared at him wide-eyed, though that wasn't necessarily from shock. Judging by his dilated pupils, Loki guessed it was due to another reason entirely. Smirking over his shoulder, Loki walked away giving him wink before turning back to join the fray.

Not long later they were all out of bullets and shattered. They walked slowly back to the main building to return their equipment, talking, remembering the highlights of the day.

"Come on 'Tasha you can't stay mad at me for those shots I managed to score on you," Clint laughed, jogging up to walk beside her.

"I can when one hit me directly in the boob. And I know that was deliberate so don't even try to deny it."

At that everyone laughed. It was true; there was no denying the huge red paint splatter across her chest.

"You were great," Steve said to Darcy with a smile, shoving her lightly on the arm. He seemed to not have realised his own strength, or else she was just taken completely unawares, because she went stumbling into Loki, who caught her and held her tightly against himself to stop her falling down.

"Are you alright?" Loki asked when she was back on her feet, his hands still stabilising her.

"Yeah fine," Darcy said breathlessly. "And it's fine Steve, I'm fine," she insisted as he repeated 'I'm sorry' over and over again.

They all continued their walking, Darcy now walking beside Loki as they talked avidly about something or other. They talked so fast no one could really work out exactly what it was.

"You two would make such a cute couple," Pepper suddenly said causing everyone to stare at her in shock, though no one turned as fast as Tony who would've been in danger of breaking his neck if he'd turned any faster. "What? They would," She added, confused by everyone's stares. Only her, Bruce and Steve didn't know that Loki and Tony were dating, everyone else was aware of the slight tension that had developed as a result of her speaking.

"I really don't think so," Loki replied quickly. The expression on Tony's face unsettled him and he wanted to sort this situation as fast as possible. "We're good friends but she's not really my type."

"Hey," Darcy laughed. "I'm everyone's type." After a pointed look from Loki, she feigned a sigh. "Okay fine, but you're not my type either."

"It's a shame, you'd make a great pair," Pepper shook her head but luckily the subject was dropped shortly after because they had finally arrived back at the entrance.

After depositing their equipment and saying final goodbyes and such, they separated, making their own ways back home. No one questioned Loki and Tony leaving together which was probably a good thing seeing as Tony didn't appear as though he wanted to talk to anyone. Loki endured his silence all the way home until they were pulling into Tony's drive. When he made to get out of the car, Loki put a hand on his arm.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Tony said, not making eye contact, trying once again to get out of the car.

"That's not true, tell me please."

Tony sighed, dropping his head back against his seat and screwing his eyes shut. "It's really stupid."

"I think I can guess," Loki said, and at a look from Tony he continued. "It's because of what Pepper said?"

"It just really bothered me, I don't know why. It's the way she said it and like, I don't think of you as my property or anything, because that's weird, but I do think of you as my boyfriend. No one else's, just mine and I like that. What I don't like is thinking of you with someone else. God I'm sorry if I sound really petty or creepy and overbearing but it just bothered me."

There was a kind smile on Loki's face when he replied. "I don't think you're petty or creepy. I understand what you mean, I used to think about you and Pepper and it made me feel awful."

"You don't think about that stuff anymore?"

"Not really, I trust you not to run off with her unless we break up and I hope that doesn't happen for quite some time. What else is there to worry about? We're together, we're happy and I doubt Pepper would have said those things if she knew about us."

"I will tell her sometime," Tony said, suddenly turning to look Loki directly in the eye. "Soon, I will tell her."

Loki leant forward and stole a kiss before whispering, "I know."

They got out of the car and entered the house, heading straight upstairs. Rhodey wasn't home but they decided to stay in Tony's room anyway. After all, the bed was more comfortable than the sofa. Loki flopped down next to Tony, his head resting back on his shoulder while Tony wrapped an arm around his waist.

"So," Tony said, dragging out the 'o' as he spoke. "What do you wanna do?"

"I can think of something but it depends if you want to."

"You're being very cryptic. What do you have in mind?" He didn't have to wait much longer to find out as next second Loki moved, switching positions so he was straddling Tony's lap instead. Tony said nothing but he didn't protest, on the contrary, his silence was the perfect invitation for Loki to carry on with whatever his plan was.

Their lips connected lightly at first but soon picked up pace as the tension started to build. A hand buried in Loki's long hair and the other resting on his lower back, he subconsciously started to move his hips up as Loki's ground down lightly creating the perfect amount of friction. It was the perfect amount, that is, until they wanted more. Before Tony totally realised what was happening, Loki had stripped out of his own shirt and trousers, leaving himself clad in just his underwear. He noticed Tony staring.

"Is this okay?" he asked.

Tony nodded vigorously. "I'd tell you if it wasn't. Now get over here."

Loki happily complied. He helped Tony shed his own clothes until he too was down to just his underwear. This time, when they rocked against each other the intensity was far more pronounced that it left them utterly breathless.

"How far do you want to take this?" Loki whispered against Tony's lips before he kissed him.

"You just lead. Do whatever you want to do."

Though that sounded like a thoroughly enjoyable idea, Loki declined in doing what he truly wanted. He wasn't entirely sure Tony was okay with it and he didn't want him to regret so decided to postpone going all the way. At least for a short time. Instead, he decided to do something that he'd wanted to do for a very long time.

Shimmying down, Loki settled himself on his knees between Tony's partially spread legs. After that point everything blurred, becoming a rush of pleasure, movement, intense feeling, and Tony realising he had the best boyfriend in the world. And said boyfriend was amazing, especially when he had his lips round Tony's cock. The way he hollowed his cheeks, how he occasionally ran his tongue slowly over the head, how he took Tony's entire length in his mouth and swallowed was simply divine. Tony had never even thought of the word divine during any act remotely sexual before and yet here he was moaning and writhing under Loki's touch until finally it came to an end.

If he hadn't been wearing a condom –because they were all about safety – Tony was pretty sure that Loki would have swallowed everything and that thought alone and the images it brought almost made Tony rock hard again.

They lay panting on the bed, Tony having disposed of the condom and redressed in his underwear. Loki's lips were red and swollen yet he made no complaint when Tony kissed him. Both of them had reached their release, Loki having used one of his hands on himself while the other had aided and abetted Tony, and now they were shattered.

"You are fucking good at that which makes me happy and sad. I'm irrationally jealous of where you got all the practise from."

Loki let out a laugh. He rolled over, crossing his arms on Tony's chest and resting his chin upon them. "Don't be. I much prefer you to all of them put together. English boys really aren't as polite as you may think."

"Either way, you're my boyfriend now so everyone else can piss off anyway."

Loki rolled his eyes but his smile betrayed him.

"Just be quiet and go to sleep," he said, shuffling around a little until his head rested comfortably on Tony's chest with his arms draped loosely around him. He listened to the thump of Tony's heartbeat settling into a steady rhythm, allowing it to carry him away into the darkness of sleep.

Before he fell totally asleep however, he felt the soft brush of lips on his forehead and a heard gentle mutter. Though he didn't hear what was said, a sudden warmth bloomed to life in his chest. He had no idea what it was but there was no denying the all-consuming happiness that he felt in that moment.

* * *

><p><em>And the excuses for the lateness go as follows, my A levels are killing me, I had to revise for mocks (and still have 1 exam left), and generally life is hard at the moment but I'm working on it so hopefully the next update won't take as long. Still hope you enjoyed, thankyou for sticking with me, your support means so much to me you have no idea and please tell me what you think?! :)<em>


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Though still early March, the weather was surprisingly warm. The flowers were showing signs of life, starting to once again brighten up the garden with their vast array of colours. Loki managed to appreciate this for an hour or so, for once enjoying the warmth on his skin from the sun shining above him. He sat on a garden chair slightly away from the rest of his family, thankful that no one was paying him much attention. If he had to endure family parties at least allow him some peace during them. Forced contact with people you didn't like can only really end badly. But it was Frigga's birthday and for that Loki would make an effort.

Thor and Jane were preoccupied talking to some cousins, and Odin and Frigga were sitting together surrounded by a few other close relations. They seemed very happy. Loki liked that. Everything may not be perfect but he liked that everyone was happy for once. There were no arguments. No one was angry. The sun was shining. And his phone had just buzzed.

_Sorry for being sentimental but I miss you. Can't wait to see you later. _

Loki smiled widely, unable to deny the warmth spreading through him from just that short text. It was cliché as hell but who cares? Loki was still a teenager after all and he had just as much right as anyone else to get excited over the little things. Because ultimately, you could laugh at anyone for being happy about receiving such things but when the roles are reversed and you receive a small gesture of a message saying something such as this, you too would probably react in just the same way.

From a little way off Odin noticed the sudden brightness in Loki's expression and, after a quick study, saw his eyes were fixed on his phone. Very few reasons could bring such a smile to his son's face. Taking a steady breath, he got up and walked over to where Loki was sitting. He tried not to feel hurt when he registered Loki's new expression of surprise and confusion.

"Who is that?" He asked, gesturing to the device in Loki's hand.

"Um...Tony," Loki said, hesitating before he spoke. The subject had been broached enough since that fateful dinner that he no longer had to explain each time that Tony was his boyfriend.

"Frigga said you're staying at his house tonight."

"Yes." He couldn't think what else to say. He thought he knew where this conversation was going and he was just praying that it wouldn't actually go there.

"That's...well...good. But Loki...I want you to remember that you need to be safe."

Yep, it was going there. And Loki was going to die of embarrassment.

"Look we really don't need to talk about this. I'm pretty much an adult and I know how...how things work."

Odin shifted uncomfortably beside him. He stared around the garden as though seeking out some sudden inspiration so as to know what to say.

"I know you are very intelligent Loki. But I just want you to be safe and comfortable. And I don't just mean sexually," he added quickly, cutting Loki off before he could interrupt. Loki closed his mouth without saying a word, though his expression was significantly darker. But that could have just been due to the blush now creeping up his cheeks. "I don't Know...Tony." He hesitated briefly over the name, worried in case he got it wrong. "But I'd like too. Invite him round."

"What? Now?" Loki asked, totally stunned.

Odin nodded. "I would like to get to know him properly and I'm sure Frigga would also. I know being surrounded by family isn't the best way to introduce him but I know how much you hate these things and Thor has his girlfriend here so you should be allowed to have your boyfriend here too."

Loki was so genuinely shocked that it took him a minute or two to gather his thoughts well enough to reply.

"Uhh, thanks, thankyou. I'll, um, I'll go call him to, you know, ask him." And with that Loki practically skipped off into the house where he could call Tony to invite him round.

Turning his head, Odin jumped as Frigga sat down beside him. He hadn't noticed her coming over.

"What did you say to him? He looked like he might float off from joy."

"The right thing, for once."

Frigga made no other comment about how cryptic he was being, but continued to stare at the open doorway from where Loki had just disappeared into the house.

* * *

><p>He was in his garage as usual, working on about five different projects at once. He just couldn't find the motivation to finish one at a time. If he focussed on one for too long he would just get so bored that he'd abandon it completely which would just annoy him more. Anyway, the fact of the matter was that he was bored. Bored of school work, bored of his projects, bored of pretty much everything. He needed something new. A new challenge that didn't involve getting up at like six everyday to get to school or else spending all day in his extremely untidy garage. He wanted change.<p>

He thought Rhodey understood, he'd tried to explain it enough times. The constricting feeling in his chest, the constant tap of his fingers on any drumable surface. But Rhodey just put it down to nerves of the impending exams or else the fear of growing up, moving on to university. No. That wasn't it. He wasn't nervous for the exams, he just wanted them over. He wasn't scared of growing up either; he'd outgrown this town long ago. He needed change. He wasn't scared for university. In fact it was the total opposite. He couldn't wait to go. To have the freedom, to have the choice, to finally do something he really wanted to do.

With a frustrated sigh, he dropped the screwdriver in his hand onto one of his many workbenches, not caring that its impact sent bits of mental and screws tumbling to the floor.

Of course, there would be things that he would miss. Rhodey obviously. His friends. Clint, Darcy, Bruce, Thor and Steve. Even Natasha now that they were closer. And then there was Loki. There was no doubt that he would miss him.

They had briefly discussed what would happen when they both went off to separate universities. It was the day that Loki had received his first offer and he'd been over the moon. Tony was happy for him, or course he was. But somehow they'd moved on from the congratulating to a heated discussion on what the future held for their relationship. It had culminated with Loki snapping at him that perhaps they shouldn't be together at all if all Tony was thinking about and looking forward to was moving away, to which he had to promptly explain that yes, he was looking forward to moving away, but that that in no way meant that he didn't want to be with Loki or would end their relationship because of that reason. He even admitted that one of the only things he would miss would be seeing Loki on a regular basis.

Speak of the devil, Tony thought as his phone started to ring.

"What's up?" He asked, balancing the phone between his shoulder and ear while he started to clear up the mess he'd made on the floor.

"Do you want to come over?" Loki replied. When Tony didn't answer for a second or two, he continued, assuming that he was waiting for an explanation. "I know I'm staying over at yours tonight but my father just invited you round. He...eh...he wants to meet you."

"Please tell me this is a joke. You're having me on right?"

"I wish," Loki sighed. "But he's genuinely serious and I didn't want to refuse seeing as this could be my only chance to convince him that my relationships are just as acceptable as Thor's."

Tony was silent for a few very long seconds. "Okay, but only if you promise it's not a trap and your dad's not waiting to harpoon me or something when I walk through the door."

"He won't harpoon you," Loki chuckled. "But I might if you don't hurry up and get here," he added.

"Give me twenty minutes."

With that he hung up. And proceeded to panic. Okay, okay, so he was going to meet Loki's parents, formally this time like actually meet and greet them. He could do that, couldn't he? Okay so, so far in his life he has avoided that commitment spectacularly. But this was Loki, someone he actually gave a shit about. Yes, he could do that.

He managed to get through having a shower and getting dressed before panic spiked to life within him once again. He'd reached the door and was just reaching over the grab his keys when he was hit by the ridiculous question of what if they didn't like him? What if they didn't approve of him or think he was good enough?

It took quite a few minutes to calm down from that bout of panic meaning that, when he finally did start the engine of his car and reverse out his drive, thirty minutes had passed and not twenty. Luckily he made it to Loki's house in good time, though it proved useless when all he did upon arrival was hover outside the door, debating whether or not he should knock or run away. Fortunately he was saved from making the decision himself because a second later it opened, revealing Loki with a relieved smile on his face.

"You came!"

"Did you think I wouldn't?"

And, to Tony's great surprise yet no complaint at all, Loki kissed him.

"What was that for?" Tony asked, after they broke apart some seconds later.

Loki just shrugged in reply, taking hold of Tony's hand and guiding him through the house. Just before they emerged into Loki's family-filled back garden, Tony felt the pressure on his hand increase. It all made sense now. Loki was nervous. Probably even more so than himself. Eager to reassure him, Tony squeezed Loki's hand back before willingly following him back out into the bright sunlight.

The garden was fairly noisy yet not overly crowded. However, that could have been down to the garden being of a significant size and not due to the lack of people. On the contrary, there were around twenty to thirty people milling around, all with drinks in their hands, and all seeming to be in deep conversation. Maybe that would mean that they could slip by unnoticed.

"Loki, who's this?"

Maybe not.

They both turned towards the source of the voice, a woman in her mid to late thirties, long blonde hair falling just above her waist, deep-set dark blue eyes and an overall kind face. Tony guessed she was a family friend; she didn't seem to quite fit into the family picture that he could see, anyway.

"Uhh," Loki began, looking more nervous than Tony had ever seen him. To show his support, he took up an even firmer grip on his hand and took a step closer so they were standing side by side, their arms brushing together. It seemed to be enough to give Loki the confidence to continue. "This is my boyfriend Tony and Tony, this is my mother's friend of many years, Fulla."

"Nice to meet you," Tony said politely, shaking her hand and returning her smile.

"Frigga never said you had a boyfriend!" She exclaimed loudly. Despite her light-hearted indignation of not knowing about Loki's relationship, she didn't appear as though the fact of him being with another man bothered her at all.

"Didn't she? Well, we've been together for over three months and..."

Loki's next words were swallowed by her squeal of delight before she pulled them both into a hug.

"Ahhh I'm so pleased for you and you're both so cute."

"Fulla, leave these two alone. They don't need you fawning all over them."

It was Odin. Oh God, Tony thought, it was Odin. Loki's dad. Walking over to them. Smiling. Wait what? Smiling. Seriously? This day was just getting weirder and weirder. Still, at least he didn't look angry, or maybe he was hiding it well? Damn, he told himself, I need to stop thinking like this. Everything had gone fine so far so why couldn't it carry on being just as fine?

"I'm not fawning, I'm just happily indignant. I can't believe you didn't say anything before considering you both talk about Thor and his girlfriend enough. Oh well, at least I know now. Still, you two better run off and say hi to Frigga otherwise she'll be on a warpath, I'll catch up with you both later," Fulla said without pausing for breath.

With another magnificently wide smile, she turned away back to the group she had been in conversation with before. Now alone, Loki and Tony shared a glance before turning their heads in unison to look at Odin. They really had no idea what to expect.

"Loki, go and see your mother like Fulla said. Tony will join you in a minute, I just want to talk to him first."

The genuine fear on both Loki and Tony's faces at that point could have been considered comical if it wasn't for the fact that no one was there to laugh. Instead they just shared another look, Loki tightening his grip on Tony's hand before giving him an apologetic look before following Odin's instructions and walking away. Tony was left alone with Odin, his hand significantly colder now it was no longer being held.

Odin walked over to a small garden table that was conveniently empty and took a seat. Tony didn't need to be told to follow. He sat down on the only other chair, that also happened to be directly opposite Odin, and attempted to compose himself. Unfortunately, he wasn't given much time to do so.

"I suppose I should begin by apologising for what happened the last time we met, if you can call that meeting. My behaviour was unforgivable and yet I hope that you can look past it." Tony could only nod. "Alas, I didn't tell Loki to invite you because of that. I told him to invite you because I think it's about time that we were properly introduced to each other."

There was a pause that stretched on rather longer than it ought to have done. That was until Tony finally caught on that he was supposed to be talking.

"Oh right, well hey hi. I'm Tony Stark, but I think you know that already, I live with my legal guardian James Rhodes and I go to the same school as Loki and Thor. Um..." he stopped, unsure of where to go next. "I was recently offered a place at MIT and as long as I get the grades in summer then I'll be starting there in September."

Odin nodded slowly as he spoke, just a small tip of the head. "Good, good, you seem all set for the next few years. Do you know what you want to do after you graduate?"

"I legally inherit my father's business Stark Industries when I turn twenty-one so probably just take over as CEO and run the company myself."

"A lot of responsibility," Odin said in an approving voice. So Tony was doing well so far. "Stark Industries has a very high status."

"Yeah, my dad's friend Obadiah Stane took over when my parents died. He just keeps everything going until I'm old enough to inherit it."

Tony wasn't entirely sure why they were discussing this or why he was giving probably irrelevant information, but he just thought that the best thing to do was to keep talking. Don't let any awkward silences fall even if it means carrying on with awkward ramblings. What did he have to lose, really? Dignity? He could afford to lose a little of that if it meant not sitting in uncomfortable silence with Loki's adoptive father.

"I think I understand now why Loki likes you."

That took Tony by surprise.

"I'm sorry?"

"I never really understood why you two were together. I mean, I've heard of you of course. As soon as Loki mentioned your name I knew who you were, your father was exceptional in the business world and it was a horrible shock to many when the accident happened. But I didn't know why Loki was drawn to you particularly seeing as in the past his relationship choices haven't...well...haven't been the smartest." Tony tried to hide a scoff. He and Loki had recently had a talk about previous relationships - more of a light-heart 'I can't believe I went there' kind of thing - and he had discovered that Loki had definitely been adventurous before he started dating Tony, and not necessarily in a good way. "I can see now, though, why you two work well together. You are both very similar in intellect and emotionally too and I'm glad it's you that Loki is currently dating and, to be honest, I hope it remains you for quite some time."

"Ehh... thankyou," Tony said, unsure whether or not he should actually be thankful. How on earth did Odin know they were similar emotionally? What does that even mean? Still Tony was just going to take what he was given and roll with it.

"Now go and see Loki, I'm sure Frigga will want to speak to you as well."

Relieved at finally being dismissed, Tony got to his feet. Just as he'd taken a few steps across the garden he stopped and turned back. "Seriously, though, thankyou. Loki's really cool and...and I really like him so I'm glad you approve too."

Odin smiled his best smile, which wasn't really all that great, and gave him a jovial wave of the hand. Yeah, Tony thought as he joined Loki once again, he could deal with that.

They spent the rest of the party meeting more guests and attempting to hide from Thor who kept on insisting that they should all go on weekly double dates, him and Jane, and Tony and Loki. There were so many reasons why it was an awful idea that they couldn't even form them all into words and so just decided to change the subject whenever it was broached, or else just run and hide. That one proved the most effective. Multiple times they were tracked down by Fulla and her insistence that they tell her everything from how they first met to where they got coffee the previous weekend. But most of the time they were saved from answering as Frigga swooped in and engaged her in conversation enough for the two of them to slip away.

As soon as Tony had joined Loki again after his talk with Odin, he had been pressed for every tiny detail of what was said. In truth Tony couldn't remember much but reassured Loki that Odin seemed pretty cool that they were together and how he apparently approved of Tony's life choices for the future. He also made it clear to Loki how weird he thought Odin was and made him swear to never leave him alone with him again, reasoning that parents didn't usually give a longwinded description of how similar their child and his boyfriend were. After saying that, Loki was in agreement that that was indeed weird and no he would do his level best to never abandon Tony with his adoptive father again.

It was around seven o'clock when they left Loki's house and headed to Tony's, ready to spend the night together. It's not as though it was the first time that Loki had stayed over but it did seem that this time might hold slight more significance to their relationship as a whole. And when the lights were turned out some hours later something significant definitely did occur.

* * *

><p><em>Fun Fact: Fulla is the handmaiden of Frigg (Frigga) in Norse Mythology.<em>

_I could spend forever apologising for the wait of each chapter but right now in my life I just can't post regularly yet I am so grateful for all of you who stick with me, every favourite, follow and review I receive makes me smile so thankyou to all of you because you are amazing! (and don't worry, next chapter will be very Loki/Tony-centric)_


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

They were inside and very much alone. Rhodey was out and wouldn't be back for hours so the two were left in peace. Still, it was with some trepidation that they mounted the stairs and headed to Tony's bedroom, unsure of the proceedings of the evening. They both knew how they would like it to go but whether it went that way was another matter. When Tony closed his bedroom door, he was surprisingly startled by Loki kissing him. It was slow. Thorough. Meaningful.

Tony slowly blinked at Loki when they broke apart. He went to talk but Loki shushed him and leant in for another kiss, this one lasting much longer than the last. Somehow they found their way to the bed, not breaking apart once except for when either one of their breaths hitched due to the others increasingly wandering touch.

"Are...Are we doing this?" Tony stumbled to ask as Loki continued the assault of his neck, kissing and nipping his way down it.

"We go as far as you want," Loki replied between the presses of his lips. "As far as you are comfortable with."

"I want...I want to..."

"What?"

"I want to do it, go all the way."

Loki stopped what he was doing and sat up, staring intently down at Tony in the semi-darkness. Tony could see the glow of his emerald eyes disappear every time he blinked.

"Are you sure?" Loki said, his words no more than a whisper.

Tony nodded, then realising the poor light, he voiced the gesture. "Yes, perfectly sure." Then, after a pause, he added very quietly, "But I don't want...you in me... I'm not cool with that yet."

For some reason he'd shut his eyes when he had spoken, unsure how Loki would react. They'd discussed briefly before about sex and what it would entail, seeing as Tony had never done it before and the internet could only teach you so much. Yet they'd never discussed preferences or positions, most likely due to Tony not having a preference because he'd never done it with a man before. Nevertheless, he knew that he wasn't ready to have Loki take him in any way.

"God I feel so childish," he muttered, running a hand through his already messy hair.

"Why do you? There isn't any need, you don't sound childish at all, you sound responsible. As long as you are happy, I am happy and I can tell you I am very happy right now. And anyway, I would never do what we are about to do with a child."

Tony rolled his eyes and let out a snort of laughter. "Well that's always nice to know."

They lay there for a few moments in silence, relaxed against each other. Neither was in any rush. Then, slowly, Loki resumed his journey up and down Tony's neck, though far more gently this time. He made his way lower, undoing the buttons of Tony's shirt and pushing it off his shoulders, brushing his lips over his sternum. His own shirt soon followed, dropped unceremoniously off the side of the bed to crumple on the floor. Their jeans were next, leaving them clad in just their underwear. Tony chuckled and Loki looked at him curiously. It was hard to make out the other's expression through the darkness.

"What's funny?" He murmured, straddling Tony's hips and leaning over him.

"You. This. I don't know. I never thought I'd be here ever." He sighed then smiled.

"Would you rather not be?"

"If you ask me one more stupid question then I'm gone and you can find another way to entertain yourself. There's nowhere else I'd rather be right now, I'm just feeling a bit sentimental."

It was Loki's turn to laugh, though Tony could have sworn it was more like a giggle. When he voiced this he received a swift nip to the shoulder before the much nicer feeling of Loki pressing his lips to his.

Everything moved slowly. Their underwear was gone. Loki had retrieved a condom from his bag, along with some lube. He settled back on top of Tony. He took his time, working himself open without haste. Finger by finger, thrust by thrust, he became more worked up. Tony watched from beneath him, lost for words at the spectacle. Though he couldn't see, he knew exactly what was happening and he couldn't help but want to swap Loki's fingers for his own. To make those sweet little whines and moans escape Loki's lips because of him. Just the thought felt like a dream come true.

Steadying himself with a hand on Tony's shoulder, Loki guided himself down until he was fully seated. For a few seconds he just sat there, leaning forward against Tony with his eyes closed.

"Does it hurt?" Tony asked quietly.

"Hardly," Loki breathed. "I just need a minute. It's been a while."

He set the rhythm and Tony followed. As the time passed they picked up speed but it never felt rushed. As Tony started to thrust up into Loki, he relished the sound of the man's breath hitching above him and the shake in his thighs as Tony angled his hips just right to hit his sweet spot.

At some points Tony was pretty sure he was close to having an existential crisis. It was like nothing he'd experienced before. But it wasn't just because he was having sex with a guy. It was more that he actually felt something. He liked the slower pace. He liked the quiet. It allowed him to appreciate every gasp and hushed moan. Every light touch. Sex had never felt meaningful before. Until now.

Loki's hair had fallen forwards, a dark curtain casting further shadows over his already pale face. Tony reached up and pushed it back, tucking it behind Loki's ear gently. Somehow, despite the darkness, their eyes met and they both smiled. Loki took Tony's hand in his, entwining their fingers and pressed them into the bed as he leant down and kissed him deeply.

"You're so pretty," Tony whispered against his lips.

Loki laughed and closed his eyes. "You're ridiculous."

His feigned exasperation was ruined by Tony thrusting up into him particularly hard. His eyes flew open and his body dropped forward making them almost chest to chest.

"I like it when you're flustered," Tony murmured in his ear.

At this point Loki was starting to struggle to keep his rhythm. What with Tony muttering more and more things in his ear that were rapidly becoming more obscene, he was finding it hard to concentrate on anything other than Tony's hushed whispers in his ear. When he felt the man's other hand wrap around his cock, he moaned against his neck, feeling Tony's muscles tense as the sound washed over him.

Soon it became too much. The gentle touches, Tony stroking him, the continued whispers in his ear. He hit his climax and everything turned to white noise. Tony followed him over the edge a few seconds later, thrusting his hips up to ride out his orgasm.

Their bodies gave way and Tony fell back against the covers with Loki half on top of him. Their breathing started to calm to a normal rhythm. Through half lidded eyes, Loki stared up at Tony from where he was resting his chin on the man's chest.

"Are you okay?" He spoke softly.

Suddenly Tony moved, wrapping his arms around Loki, pulling him closer. He rested his forehead on Loki's, staring straight into his eyes. From the very weak light seeping through the partially open windows he could just about make out the man's expression. He looked happy. Content.

"I thought I said to stop asking stupid questions."

"Well..." Loki began but his words drifted away. He now looked unsure of himself. No longer holding Tony's gaze.

With his thumb and forefinger, he slowly lifted Loki's chin and captured his lips in a sweet kiss.

"I'm perfect."

And he meant it.

* * *

><p>They had fallen asleep not too long later, still wrapped up in each other's arms. Their breathing synchronised. Hardly moving. Feeling happy.<p>

Tony heard his phone vibrating but he ignored it. It was probably just some stupid automated call trying to sell him something. Maybe their new thing was to call at ridiculous hours in the morning to catch people off guard. Still, he ignored it. Running his hand up and down Loki's back, tracing patterns over his pale skin, he soon dropped back off to sleep.

That was until there was a sharp knock on his bedroom door. He groaned loudly and was about to shout for whoever was knocking to piss off but then again he didn't want to wake Loki, who was miraculously still asleep. Thank god for heavy sleepers he thought as he carefully disentangled himself from Loki and slid out of bed.

"What?" he hissed, opening his bedroom door to be greeted with the sight of a harassed looking Rhodey.

"Come with me," Rhodey said, gesturing down the stairs.

"Seriously?" Tony whined, thankful he'd had the initiative to put on underwear before exiting his room.

He didn't receive a reply, his guardian just turned and headed off downstairs. Something was definitely wrong. Casting a mournful look back to Loki still fast asleep in his bed, he shut the door and headed after Rhodey into the kitchen.

"I just got a call. Obadiah has been in a car crash, it's pretty bad. He's currently in intensive care and will be taken into theatre soon. They wouldn't give me too much detail over the phone but they said that we should go up there, especially as you're registered as a close relation."

Hit with all that information at once, Tony wasn't quite sure what to do.

"So we're leaving for New York right now?"

"Well, as soon as possible."

The light in the kitchen was too bright. But it wasn't warm light. He shivered. He missed his dark bedroom, his warm bed. He missed Loki. Oh god Loki.

"But what about Loki? I can't send him home at-," he glanced at the clock. "Half three in the morning."

Rhodey thought for a moment before replying. "Wake him up, tell him what's going on. He doesn't need to leave, you trust him and I trust him. There's a spare key by the door, he can leave whenever he's ready later on."

Tony nodded, hovered for a few seconds still trying to make sense of everything going on. Then he hurried off back upstairs feeling rather guilty because for one thing, he had ignored the hospital when they attempted to call him and two, deep down inside of him he was annoyed that this was all happening right now. He knew that it was selfish and he knew he shouldn't put Loki before everything but last night had meant a lot to him and he was pretty gutted that it was over so soon.

He picked his way gingerly around his room, collecting together some clothes and other necessities, casting glances every so often to Loki who was still asleep, his face buried in one of Tony's many feather pillows. When his bag was ready, he sat down on the edge of the bed and stared down at Loki, trying to copy the man's deep breathing pattern. He hadn't realised his heart was beating so erratically until he'd paused for a second and noticed that he was shaking.

"Loki," he whispered. There was no response. "Loki," he repeated, slightly louder. He lay a hand on the man's shoulder and shook him gently. Still no reply. "Come on Loki, please. You need to wake up."

There must have been something in his pleading tone that got through to Loki in his dream world because he made a noise, shifted a little, then his eyes flickered open. For a moment he simply stared at Tony, trying to process what was going on. It was nowhere near dawn and there was no sunlight visible through the thin curtains yet.

"Tony?" He questioned, sitting up and still looking very confused. "What's wrong?"

He wasn't quite sure where to begin. He opened his mouth but words failed him, he just sat there with his mouth open, unable to formulate a response. Loki guessed there was something seriously wrong because, without hesitation, he gathered Tony into his arms, hugging him.

"Rhodey just got a call from the hospital, Obadiah was in a car accident. He's...he's in theatre and it's not looking good. I have...I have to go to New York. Me and Rhodey, we're going to see him so I'll be gone for a few days...But Rhodey said you can stay here until you're ready to leave later. There's a key by the door to...to lock up with..." His words faded away into nothingness.

He was thankful when Loki tightened his embrace. In that moment, his boyfriend's arms around him felt like the only thing that was holding him together. If Loki let go, then he would fall apart into a million little pieces. Too many to ever be put back together.

"Are you sure you don't want me to leave?"

"No, it's way too early and you didn't bring your keys to your house. It would be unfair to wake your family."

"I'm sure they'd understand," Loki insisted, pulling away to look at Tony, his hands still resting on his arms, reassuring him.

There was a soft knock on the door. They both looked around to see Rhodey hovering in the doorway.

"You ready?" He asked Tony.

He looked stressed and exceptionally tired, Tony didn't look much better. Loki felt sorry for them both. Though he didn't know Obadiah, Tony had often spoken of him. He was clearly important to him and Loki hated to see Tony so anguished.

"Yeah," Tony said, standing up and turning away from Loki to collect his bag.

Loki watched him as he checked a final few things. Making sure his phone was in his pocket and that he'd packed a charger. Then he turned back.

"I'm sorry. This is really not what I expected to happen."

Loki couldn't help but smile. "I'm sure we can make up for it sometime."

"I'll call you when I can."

He nodded. Tony leant in and pressed a kiss to Loki's lips. It was short, sweet. Almost chaste. Loki offered him a reassuring smile as he left the room.

A minute later he heard the front door opening and closing before a car pulling out the drive, speeding off down the road. Loki remained where he was, sitting cross-legged in the middle of Tony's bed. He knew he still had a few hours before anyone would be awake at his house yet he knew he would never fall asleep now.

Dragging himself to his feet, he got dressed and went downstairs, flicking on the TV and collapsing onto the sofa. It felt strange being in Tony's house without Tony. It seemed too quiet and much too large. How could two people find so much comfort in a house so big? He brought his legs up and hugged them against his chest.

Somewhere in the long hours that followed Tony's departure, Loki drifted off into a light doze. He was woken up just after seven by the shouts of some children on the TV that he had never turned off. He got up and switched it off, gathered his things together and left the house. He pocketed the key he's been left and started the laborious walk home.

His mother answered the door and asked what was wrong before he could even step inside the house. Damn his mother and her sixth sense.

"The man who looks after Tony's business until he comes of age, Obadiah, was in a car accident. I gather it's pretty serious so he and Rhodey left to New York not long after they got the call."

Frigga gasped but didn't say anything more on the matter. Though she had amazing skills when it came to getting information out of people, she never did anything with that information. Merely stored it. She never gossiped, only rarely sharing a secret.

"I'll make you breakfast," she said with a sad smile, obviously realising how worried Loki was. "Come sit down."

Somehow Loki found the energy to eat before heading upstairs and crawling into bed. Yes he probably should have been revising for his exams that were growing ever closer but he doubted that he would have been able to concentrate. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep.

* * *

><p>Tony didn't call until lunch time on Monday. They were all sitting together, spread out over two tables. In the middle of them all sat Clint and Steve were having a heated discussion over the economy; Natasha and Bruce were sitting on their left talking about something that had happened in their chemistry class while Loki sat beside them, pretending to follow the conversation; and at the opposite end sat Darcy and Jane who were discreetly talking about the Odinson's family party. Well, more importantly, Loki and Tony.<p>

"They were honestly so cute. When Tony arrived Loki looked so nervous because his dad came over and took Tony away to have a 'talk'," Jane said quickly, making quotation marks with her fingers. "I don't know what he said but that doesn't matter because when they were back together they just sat and talked and laughed, it was seriously adorable."

"I'm so annoyed I wasn't invited," Darcy whined, looking genuinely upset that she had missed this public display of affection.

"Anyway, Thor kept badgering them the whole time, asking them on double dates and stuff. Like I'm not opposed to double dates or whatever but it really wasn't the right time. But then Loki left with Tony to stay the night and they both just wouldn't stop smiling." She sobered slightly. "This may sound mean but at first I really didn't know what to make of their relationship. I mean, I didn't think Tony would like Loki this much, I thought it might be a phase but seeing them together, they seem so happy."

"I know! I can't stop myself smiling when I'm around them because they can't stop smiling. Honestly, though, if they want to keep this secret, they need to get better with being discreet."

"Who needs to get better at being discreet?"

They both jumped and looked around to see Pepper taking the empty seat beside Jane.

"No one," Jane said automatically.

Pepper looked at them both in disbelief, clearly not being as gullible as they had hoped.

"Seriously?" she said, looking at them both, eyebrows raised.

Luckily they were saved from Pepper scrutinising gaze when a phone started to ring. They all glanced around to find the source of the noise only to see Loki snatching up his phone and answering straight away.

"He looks in a hurry," Pepper commented, watching Loki talk earnestly to the person on the other end of the line. "Clearly someone important is calling."

"Yeah," Jane and Darcy agreed, exchanging a look.

"Tony I'm fine, it doesn't matter about me right now." A pause, clearly Loki was listening to what Tony had to say. "No, I'm not angry at all, don't be stupid. How is he, and how are you?" There was a longer pause this time. "That's good news, isn't it?" The bell rang signalling the end of lunch. "I'm really sorry but I have to go, the bell just rang. Yes, I'll collect the work for you...and will you please just stop apologising for Friday; anyone would have done the same. Okay, I'll talk to you later. Bye."

"Something up?" Natasha asked, as Loki ended the call.

"Nothing really. He just keeps saying sorry for abandoning me at his house."

Natasha just rolled her eyes and Loki was pretty sure she called Tony an idiot, before she ushered him off towards his next class.

Darcy headed towards her own class – Biology - but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

"Was it just my imagination or was that Tony just calling Loki?" Pepper asked, falling into step beside Darcy.

This was definitely not a situation she wanted to be in right now. She didn't know Loki and Tony's most recent feelings about telling more people about their relationship which is why she had kept it to herself, only discussing it with Jane who was one of the few others who knew. It wasn't her place to share this secret yet she couldn't really lie because Pepper was right in what she'd heard. This was definitely a situation she didn't want to be in.

"Um, yeah it was," she replied, looking widely around for anything to distract Pepper or help her change the topic. "Did you see that new Vine the other day, the one with the Llama's?"

Pepper ignored her. "I didn't know they were that close, I thought they still found each other really annoying. But," she turned thoughtful. "I remember at Clint's New Year's party though, when I was talking to Tony, Loki walked past and Tony ran after him. I didn't see either of them for ages but then suddenly they reappeared and I never saw them apart for the rest of the party."

Darcy made a noncommittal noise and attempted to side step Pepper in order to escape into her classroom.

"You said earlier that someone needs to get better at being discreet," she said, eyeing Darcy curiously.

"Did I?" Darcy said. "Look Pepper, I'd love to keep talking but I'm going to be late."

This time she wasn't stopped as she walked away, escaping to her seat at the back of the classroom where she groaned loudly. She left Pepper standing in the middle of the corridor, comprehension dawning on her face as she slowly put two and two together.

* * *

><p><em>A bit fluffy, a bit of drama. What more could you want? Hope you enjoyed and I'll see you all soon. Please review!? :)<em>


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

She had decided not to say anything. Well not yet anyway. She couldn't be sure whether she was actually right yet and Tony still wasn't back from his trip away to be able to confirm her suspicions. This allowed Pepper to keep a watchful eye on Loki over the next few days, taking note of the amount of times he snatched up his phone to reply to texts or else shared in whispered conversations with Natasha and Darcy.

It wasn't until the following Monday that Tony returned to school looking much more tired than before he left. At break she caught him and Loki talking but it didn't seem out of the ordinary. More importantly, it didn't look as though they were concealing feelings for each other or trying to get some quality time alone. Tony would say something short and Loki would respond in a quiet tone, leaning close to him so that others wouldn't hear. Pepper thought they might be talking about their secret relationship but that didn't quite fit. They looked to be discussing something far more serious than that.

As the days passed the weather warmed as did Tony's mood. The week after his return he was practically back to normal, joining in with conversations at lunch times and laughing along with everyone else. There were still times when Pepper was definitely suspicious of the pair and, though she didn't have any concrete proof, decided to breach the topic anyway just to see the reaction.

"Is the rumour true that you're seeing someone?" She asked rather forwardly at lunch on Wednesday. Loki wasn't there yet and the others were all in a deep enough conversation of their own that they weren't paying attention to hear her question at all.

"What?" Tony said, making no obvious movements that would give anything away.

"I just wondered," Pepper said, playing it cool. "It's just some people are even saying." She leant in close and lowered her voice. "That you're dating a man."

"Really. Woah, I haven't heard that one. Last time I checked into the Realm of Rumour people were still saying that I was going to drop out of school to follow my dreams of marrying a French bodybuilder named June," Tony laughed, propping his feet up on the chair opposite. "Why the sudden interest in my love life?"

"No reason. I just didn't know you rolled that way is all. I thought perhaps, if you did prefer men, you would have told me because we did date for a long time and though it may have meant nothing to you, it did mean something to me."

Tony sat up straighter at that, obviously confused about why the conversation had taken such a serious turn.

"Okay, slow down there Pep. Where is all this coming from?"

At that moment Loki arrived and, though it might seem an innocent gesture, Pepper registered the slight difference in Tony's demeanour upon his arrival, noting how he moved his feet off the opposite chair to make room for Loki to sit down.

"Hey," Loki greeted, brushing a stray strand of hair out of his face. "Everything okay?"

"Actually we're having a private conversation right now if you don't mind," Pepper said stonily, not bothering to look round.

Frowning in obvious confusion, Loki stared at Tony, his expression asking the question of 'what the hell is going on?'

"That was a bit harsh Pepper," Tony defended, sharing another look with his boyfriend before turning back to the strawberry blonde. "We're not talking about anything that private. So you want to know my relationship status, that's fine. And in answer, yes I am seeing someone."

"Male or female?"

"Is that relevant?" Loki cut in.

"I'm sorry, I thought I said this was private," Pepper snapped back. "Well?" She insisted, turning her gaze back on Tony.

"No I'm with Loki on this, is that really relevant?"

They could both see that Pepper was reaching the end of her tether and neither Loki nor Tony wanted her to explode in the lunchroom. They were also both very much aware about what she was insinuating, having already guessed that she knows about them or at least has some suspicion. Not lying would perhaps calm her insistence for a while but lying was also distinctly unfair to Loki as he had already had to endure keeping their relationship a secret for so long.

"You know Tony, you've had a real change of heart since we went out. Before you couldn't stand this guy and now you defend him?"

"Pepper come on, don't be so rude."

"Seriously though, why are you defending him?" She questioned, her cheeks reddening in frustration. "There must be a reason?"

"Because he's..." Tony trailed off, staring off in a different direction.

"Because he's...? He's what Tony?" It seemed she didn't need a direct answer, taking his silence as confirmation of her suspicions. "So you're dating. How long for? While we were still together I expect. Or is this something new, a bit of an experiment before we all go off to college? Did you know he's not gay Loki, sorry to burst your bubble and everything but he's not really into black haired lanky men or really any men at all. I'd advise you end it now because he's just playing you, he probably has another two or three twinks on the side. I doubt just one would keep him satisfy-"

"That's enough!"

The harsh tone cracked like a whip through her rant, rendering her silent.

"I said, that's enough!" Tony repeated, in a lower more warning tone.

A few seats away Darcy nudged Natasha and they both turned to see what was going on.

"Bu-" Pepper tried to speak but Tony cut across her.

"I think you've said enough. Yes we used to date but that doesn't give you any right to comment on my relationships whether they are with a male, female or otherwise. Is that clear?" He didn't continue until Pepper nodded. "Good. Secondly it is none of your fucking business whether I do or do not date Loki, neither is it your place to harass him in public about it."

"Tony you really don't have to do that," Loki muttered, staring down at the table. "I've heard far worse."

"Well I haven't and it doesn't matter anyway because no one should say stuff like that ever. It's horrible."

He paused for a second to calm his breathing. Pepper sat dumbstruck in front of him and Loki continued to look uncomfortable. The rest of the table had gone very quiet but no one made any move to get involved. The few clueless members of the table - Bruce, Steve and Phil - exchanged looks of confusion as they finally cottoned on to what Pepper was suggesting.

Much to Tony's dismay, Pepper was the one to finally break the ominous silence. "Assuming I'm right in thinking that you two..." She didn't finish her sentence. "Why him? What's so special about him that he managed to convince you that being with a guy was what you wanted?"

Releasing a sigh of frustration, Loki got to his feet. Tony stared up at him in surprise.

"I've got to go," Loki said quickly. "I can't sit here and listen to this. I can't..."

And Tony knew exactly what he was saying. Loki wasn't being weak or a coward. He wasn't running away. He was just fed up with it all. The only way he would be able to fully defend himself would be to confirm Pepper's accurate conclusion that they were dating. Tony had been the one who wanted to keep their relationship quiet at first, worried about how people would react, but it had gone on too long. Tony knew Loki wouldn't wait forever but the feeling of keeping it hidden had just become so comfortable that he didn't want to ruin it by telling everyone. But now Loki had reached breaking point and Tony couldn't blame him. It was time to decide. Come clean and live with the consequences or keep the lies going and hope that somehow Loki would forgive him. He didn't like those odds very much.

Getting to his feet in a rush, Tony caught Loki's wrist just as he turned to leave. Loki looked back and guessed what was about to happen by the expression on Tony's face. Giving him a smile of reassurance, Loki adjusted Tony's grip so their fingers were entwined instead of circling round his wrist.

"What's so special about him? I could say all the clichés about how he's so smart and terribly funny but instead I'm going to say this. Once he stayed over at mine and made me the best pancakes I've ever tasted." A few titters of laughter followed this statement as the rest of their table continued to listen. "You might think that's stupid to pick up on but I don't. It's the little things I like about Loki and they all add up to this one big picture you see every day except that I'm just privileged enough because I get to see more of that picture than You do." There were a few 'awws' from their audience after that line. Tony chose to ignore it. "Yeah you might think it's weird because you didn't realise I was attracted to guys and it was weird for me a little but that only hit me way way after I realised how much I liked Loki. His gender is of no problem to me so why is it the only bit you seem to care about?" Tony said, turning away from Pepper, who was looking more surprised than ever, to stare up at Loki who had gone very still.

"I think people know now," Loki said after a moment's pause, nodding his head vaguely to acknowledge the fact that quite a few people were staring at them.

"That a problem?"

"Definitely not," he replied with a smile.

"Good because even more people are about to know in a second."

And with that Tony pulled Loki closer and kissed him in the middle of the dining hall.

The reaction was immediate from their table. Pepper gasped and looked very upset. Natasha, Clint and Darcy all cheered. Thor hid his face in his hands while Jane beamed up at the pair while Bruce, Steve and Phil simply stared, realising that they had been totally oblivious to Loki and Tony's apparently serious relationship this whole time.

Others in the close vicinity started to notice too. There were catcalls and jeering from some people, while others whooped and clapped. Even the teachers started to get involved, either with smiles or nods of approval or else looking the opposite way and pretending not to notice, to shakes of the head as they watched the public display.

When Tony and Loki broke apart they started to laugh, both very aware of how much attention they were receiving. It was their fault but that didn't make it any less intimidating. Sitting down awkwardly, the rest of their friends all looked at them with a mixture of shock and confusion. Darcy and Jane were the only exceptions as next second they burst out laughing and, a few seats away, it looked as though Natasha was on the verge of hysterics as well.

"I think..." Natasha began, feigning seriousness. "I think people might know about you and Tony," she said to Loki, who was sitting with his head in his hands, a dark flush creeping up his neck and over his cheeks.

"I can't believe we just did that," he said, his words muffled by his hands. "I don't think I can ever live it down."

Tony laughed, rubbing his thumb in comforting circles over the back of Loki's hand.

"But you used to hate him," Pepper spoke suddenly, in a very small voice.

"No I didn't, I just found him mildly irritating."

"There's a difference," Loki smiled widely, clearly enjoying himself. Pepper looked as though she wanted to hit him.

"I think I'm going to go," she said instead, getting to her feet with as much dignity as she could muster in the current situation.

Running a hand through his hair, Tony said, "Wait Pepper." She stopped and turned back, without making eye contact. "What you said was terrible but you are my friend and I don't want to lose you over something like this. I'm not asking you and Loki to be best friends, hell I'm not even asking you to be friends at all. But I want you to be civil to him because he's important to me and I'm sorry that this upsets you but I'm not going to lie just to save your feelings. This is my life and I can do what I want."

She nodded slowly, her head bowed. "I'm sorry," she whispered. Sniffing loudly, she turned to Loki and repeated her words. "I'm sorry Loki. What I said...it was unfair."

Loki didn't react at first but, after a glance from Tony, he gave a very brief nod in acknowledgement of her words. He didn't forgive her. Neither of them did. Nor would anyone else who had heard the exchange. But it was better to try and accept and move on than continue down the bitter path that she had put them on.

* * *

><p>The end of the day came swiftly after that and, soon enough, Loki was riding shotgun while Tony drove them back to his house. The radio served to break the comfortable silence; both were exhausted enough from their day that they couldn't think of anything to say.<p>

They collapsed onto one of Tony's sofas, Loki more on top of Tony than on the cushions. Tony pushed him off gently, wrapping an arm around him instead to draw him closer. He leant in close and pressed his lips lightly to Loki's temple before moving lower and kissing his cheek before kissing him very briefly on the lips.

"What was that for?" Loki asked slightly breathlessly.

Without replying Tony kissed him again, cupping Loki's face and lightly running his thumbs over his cheeks before leaning in for the third time.

"I have to go back to New York this weekend and I want you to come with me."

At that admission, Loki placed a hand on Tony's chest to create some space between them. He looked at him in disbelief, unable to comprehend what he had just been told.

"What? Are you being serious?"

"Yep."

"But-but we can't, I can't," Loki clarified, trying not to notice the hurt replacing all the previous optimism on Tony's face. He wanted to go, of course he did, but there were just too many reasons why he couldn't. "Our exams start so soon and I need to study and I don't really have enough money right now and I doubt my parents would give me the money even if I did somehow manage to convince them to let me go."

"You're making excuses."

"No I'm being reasonable," Loki said, rather more forcefully than he intended. Tony sat back then got to his feet and began pacing the room.

Pausing in his tracks, he turned back to Loki. "I have a plane, you don't need to pay."

"I-what?"

Tony rolled his eyes, looking distinctly uncomfortable. He reassumed his seat beside Loki but continued to fidget. Bringing up the subject of his family and inheritance wasn't something he particularly enjoyed, especially when some people only ever talked to him because of that reason. It had never been like that with Loki though, and for that he was thankful. In truth his family was hardly ever mentioned and even then it was usually himself bringing it up. Loki was very respectful when it came to privacy and didn't pry unless Tony gave him any indication that it was okay.

"Stark Industries has a few private jets, one of which is specifically mine to use whenever I go to visit. I try to avoid using it but this time I don't mind. It would be unfair to expect you to pay for travel when I am inviting you as my guest."

"But-" Loki tried but Tony cut him off again.

"Just consider it Loki, please. I really want you to come."

To his surprise, Loki smiled widely at him. This time when he spoke, his voice was much softer and, luckily, Tony didn't interrupt him. "I have considered it. I want to come, I really do. I'm just trying to be rational because the chance of my parents allowing me to go is very small what with schoolwork and everything."

"So you will ask them?" Tony couldn't even attempt to disguise his hopeful tone.

"Yes," Loki said, placing a kiss on the other man's lips. "Of course I will."

Unsurprisingly that conversation didn't go nearly as well as either of them hoped. As soon as Loki broached the subject Frigga absolutely refused to hear it. Apparently it was a completely irresponsible thing to suggest and she thought that both himself and Tony were more mature than this which thoroughly confused Loki. How did going to New York with his boyfriend make them irresponsible? He thought it showed total responsibility and maturity but according to his mother apparently not. He didn't mention this, however, because he didn't fancy being scolded for backtalk.

Sat at the end of the table, Odin watched the exchange in silence as Frigga gave Loki a list of reasons why going was not a good idea while Loki sat quietly, struggling against the urge to speak out. Though he agreed with Frigga in some respects, yes it was better for Loki not to go due to his exams starting very soon and him needing the time to revise, he also saw that this was something that Loki really wanted to do. After all, it was only for two nights and everyone needs a break from revision once in a while. Why couldn't this be his break?

After voicing his opinion, Frigga stared at him incredulously. She opened her mouth to argue against him but he held up a hand rendering her silent. "Loki, you can go with Tony," he stated plainly. Then he turned away from him, and his expression of complete surprise, to address Frigga instead. "He's an adult now and we should start treating him as such. If he thinks he can spare a weekend away from revision then we should allow him to make this decision because, though it's a hard truth, if he ends up failing his exams then it's his fault not ours."

Ouch. Okay so maybe Loki hadn't been dedicating as much attention to his schoolwork as he used to, he was still passing all his classes with excellent grades. However, he did agree that it would be his own fault if he did fail. For once he was actually agreeing with Odin. Miracles do happen.

"But how is he going to get there?" Frigga asked, clearly desperate to find a last argument to hold on to. It seemed also as though no one even realised Loki was there anymore seeing as he wasn't even being addressed directly despite being the only one who could answer the question.

"Tony has a plane," he cut in when Odin didn't answer. His parents turned to look at him in unison, surprise clearly visible in every line of their faces. "He's really rich," He added bluntly. He didn't have the energy to explain Tony's life to them because he was pretty sure they already had a sound idea.

Somehow they agreed. Loki wasn't quite sure how seeing as he had to sit through a good hour of discussions before his mother finally agreed to let him go. It was no surprise to anyone that he practically skipped from the kitchen, past a bewildered Thor, up to his bedroom where he called Tony to give him the good news. To say Tony was thrilled was an understatement.

And so, on Friday evening, the two were on their way to the airport courtesy of a lift from Rhodey. Despite rush hour traffic they made it there in good time, allowing them time to relax a little before the flight. Though not outwardly showing it, Loki was rather excited to see Tony's private jet. He'd never been inside one before, hell he hadn't even seen one in real life at all (TV didn't count).

They boarded not too long later – Rhodey had already left, telling them to enjoy their trip and send Obadiah his best – and, despite its small exterior, the plane was surprisingly very roomy. They settled at a table near the cockpit, storing their hand luggage under their seats until after takeoff.

"What do you think?" Tony asked after Loki first walked through the door.

"I think I can understand now why you have so many friends," Loki replied, staring around the plane's interior admiringly.

"Oh shut up you," Tony laughed, hitting him playfully on the arm. Loki just grinned in response.

The flight to New York wasn't particularly long but after landing they had to make their way across the city to Obadiah's house, or rather, mansion. Though he really wished he wasn't, Loki was nervous. This was far worse than facing Rhodey for the first time after Tony had told him that they were together. This was Obadiah. The man that Tony respected more than anyone. The man that was, besides Rhodey, Tony's closest thing to family he had. The man who ran Tony's multinational business until he came of age. This man was beyond famous, beyond rich, and very important to Tony. If he messed this up, if he made a fool of himself, he would never live it down. He couldn't do that to Tony.

There was also the issue that Obadiah didn't know about the two dating. The day before Tony had hinted that he was going to tell him during their visit but the topic was never discussed in more detail. If he disapproved then that spelled disaster from the start. And if he approved, well, there wouldn't be too much to worry about as long as Loki was polite and respectful and he was always polite and respectful to those who deserved it. He just hoped Obadiah deserved it.

When they approached the front door Loki got the feeling that he wasn't the only one who was nervous. Tony gripped his hand tightly in reassurance and kissed him lightly on the cheek before letting go of him completely.

"You ready?" He asked, uncharacteristically earnest. Loki nodded, smiling slightly. "Good...okay."

And with that he reached over and rang the doorbell. They heard it echo through the house until a dark shadow appeared on the opposite side of the opaque glass.

"Here we go," Tony murmured just as the door opened.

* * *

><p><em>I hope you enjoyed this update and I'm very sorry it's taken so long. Exams are over now so let's hope I can post more quickly from now on.<em>

_There are now only two chapters left of this story *cries* and also I should mention again that this story is part of a series so hopefully not long after this story is finished I'll be able to start posting the sequel. For now it's goodbye and I'll see you all next time. _


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Loki hadn't realised he'd been holding his breath until the young woman who opened the door smiled at them both kindly. He released it slowly when the knowledge set in that it was not Obadiah who was coming to greet them.

"Please come in," The woman said, stepping backwards to allow them entrance. "I'm sorry to say that Mr Stane is already in bed for the night but he left instructions for you both to make yourselves comfortable and that he will see you tomorrow morning."

"Thank you," Tony replied, smiling too. "How is he?"

"The doctor came to visit him again this afternoon and said that he is recovering very well. He just needs to rest and relax from the stresses of work but unfortunately that is posing difficult as Sir absolutely refuses to take more time off work. I believe he even plans to go in tomorrow, just for a short while."

Tony shook his head. "He'll be ill from overwork next," he commented sadly. "But thank you again Marie. It's late so I think we'll both head up to bed as well."

"Of course. Your rooms are on the first floor, up the stairs and the first and second doors on the right. I'll go and get your bags."

She hurried away as Tony turned on his heels and began to ascend the grand staircase that led to the upper floors. Loki followed him, keeping his mouth shut despite his urge to gape at the wondrous mansion he had just entered into.

It was huge. The floor was covered in polished dark wood that matched the carved banisters that ran parallel up the stairs perfectly. The walls were a soft white that, in the glow of the artificial light, took on an orange tint that gave the wide hallway a feeling of homeliness despite its grand size. A plush red carpet cushioned their feet as they made their way upstairs, Loki deliberately dawdling in order to take in every detail. He knew his family was well-off but this was very near decadence. At the top of the stairs the carpet continued its flow across the landing and up the next flight of stairs to the left. Tony and Loki turned right instead, away from its intriguing path.

At the first door on the right, Tony turned the golden handle and pushed opened the door unceremoniously. He led the way inside still completely oblivious to Loki's wonderment. Only when he had dropped onto the immaculately made queen-sized bed did he look over at Loki who was still standing in the doorway.

"What?"

"I just can't believe this, I can't get over the fact that someone actually lives here."

"It's not that big of a deal. When I graduate it'll be mine again and I'll probably just sell it."

"You own this?" Loki said incredulously, taking another sweeping glance back into the hallway.

At last the extent of Tony's wealth was starting to sink in. Loki knew that when he came of age he would inherit his father's multinational company which was worth billions but he didn't know he'd been left his own private jet nor did he know that he owned – there were no other words to describe it - a mansion.

"Wait a minute, you said again? You owned it before?" Loki asked.

"Yeah it was sorta mine, well my parents owned it legally but when you live in a house even when you're a kid you always refer to the house as yours."

"You grew up here?"

"Yes I did. In my parents' wills they left me everything; well everything important anyway. I was too young to stay here alone but there was no full time guardian to take care of me willing to move here. Rhodey was first choice both from my parents and from me so I went to live with him. Obi cares about me but he just isn't the parent type. Much like my dad really," Tony added as an afterthought.

Finally Loki stopped standing in the doorway, sitting down instead beside Tony on the bed. They were silent until their attention was drawn by a noise at the door.

"Sorry to interrupt Mr Stark but I have your bags here."

"Thank you so much," Tony said hurrying over to help her carry them inside. "And we go through this every time, please call me Tony."

"Yes Tony sorry, it's a habit." After the bags were settled in a corner out of the way, Marie turned to Loki. "May I show you to your room, Mr...?"

"Loki, please just call me Loki and-" He was unable to finish by Tony's sudden interruption.

"He's staying in here with me," Tony said quickly, before slowing and taking on a more tentative tone as he spoke again, "If you're okay with that?" Directing his question at Loki.

"Of course it's okay," he replied with a reassuring smile.

Beside them Marie gave a small, obviously fake, cough successfully gaining back both their attentions.

"Is there anything else you need?" she asked, a small smirk playing on her face. "Or will that be all?"

"We're fine. See you in the morning and thank you for everything," Tony said, his eyes following her as she walked out of the room, hurrying a 'good night' before she shut the door.

At once Tony's eyes snapped back to Loki and there was definitely something darker playing in them. Something that looked like mischief if Loki didn't know any better. And seeing as mischief was Loki's middle name, he had a good idea of what Tony was thinking.

"Seriously? Here?" Loki said, not moving as Tony took a step closer to him

"You don't want to?"

"I do, really I do but what if...what if they hear?"

"They won't, no one else is in the house except us and Obi. Marie'll be going home soon like she's a great maid but she needs sleep, she's not a machine."

Tony was much closer now, barely centimetres separated them. Drawing in a tight breath, Loki met Tony's eye and in that look was enough to know that he had his assent. Surging forward, their lips met in a searing kiss. There was no gentleness. It was all rushed. Lips. Tongue. Their clothes were shed in the same rushed fashion, left strewn across the floor to worry about in the morning.

This was nothing like their first time. There was no careful curiosity. No gentle experimentation. That had all been replaced with a fervour that could only be quietened by them being as close to each other as possible. In a tangled mess of limbs they collapsed onto the bed, Tony on top. He took control of the situation immediately; Loki more than happy to relinquish power in this situation.

A slicked finger pressed at Loki's entrance and he gasped in surprise. How had Tony done that so quickly? Loki hadn't even noticed him retrieving any lube. That was probably due to the fact that the man in question had been sucking on his neck at the time and Loki had been a bit preoccupied whining and moaning to pay much attention to anything else.

In no time at all there were three fingers buried deep inside of him and Loki was writhing on top of the bedsheets.

"Please," he managed to gasp. "Now."

And Tony wasn't one to keep his boyfriend waiting. Especially when he asked so nicely. Angling himself, he pushed inside slowly, watching Loki's face closely for any sign of discomfort.

"You okay?" He panted.

Loki nodded and Tony began to pull out before thrusting back in. One hand he left tangled in the sheets for balance; he took Loki's hand with the other, entwining their fingers and pushing them into the bed. He increased his rhythm and Loki arched up with a desperate whine.

Neither lasted much longer after that with Tony's constant press of his lips on every inch of Loki's skin he could reach and the moans that it elicited. Tony collapsed onto Loki in a tangled of limbs and rushed breaths. Loki drew his arms around him and pulled him closer, uncaring of their sweaty skin pressing together nor of the harsh hot air washing over his skin as Tony worked to calm his breathing.

It had become increasingly rare for them to get this time together and knew that it would get even worse when their exams really began. They were only a few weeks away, a month at most, and neither were looking forward to them. Not only because they'll have to cut down on the time they'd be able to see each other, but also because they all had secret anxieties over what would happen if they failed. And finally, exams signalled the end of the year and then they would be off to university. After their first argument over the subject it hadn't been broached since. But they both knew how difficult it can be to keep a relationship going when you go to different universities that aren't even in the same state.

Instead of thinking about that, or voicing their concerns, they just burrowed closer and fell asleep with their arms around each other.

* * *

><p>It was Loki who woke first in the dim morning light. He blinked away sleep and sat up, acknowledging the still sleeping form beside him. Looking down into Tony's face, completely relaxed in his unconscious state, Loki doubted whether he'd ever see anything else so calming. There was nothing quite like waking up beside one of your favourite people in the whole world and just take a moment to watch them in their silence and appreciate every slow breath, every slight movement. Loki wasn't at all sure what it was like to be in love but, in that moment, he was positive that that was as close to it as he had ever been yet in his life.<p>

Doing his best not to disturb Tony, Loki shifted into a more comfortable position and took to staring around the room. A clock ticked on the wall but the time was wrong. The room had an air of neglect about it. Though it was clean, it did not feel homely. It was as though someone had frozen the clock some ten years previously and now the room was destined to remain in a continuous loop of that forgotten time. On the chest of draws opposite sat a selection of picture frames each containing within it a faded photograph.

The first was of three beaming children, Tony in the centre and, Loki guessed the other two were his friends, stood beside him. They had their arms wrapped around each other's shoulders, eyes scrunched tight as they smiled. The smallest frame held a photo with Tony slightly older this time. His hair was shorter, his face older. A tall man stood beside him with a hand resting on his left shoulder and, though he wasn't smiling, there was something in his eye that told Loki he was happy he just wasn't entirely sure how to show it. Lowering his gaze slightly, Loki saw that clutched in Tony's hands in the photograph was a large trophy but the print was too small to make out what it was for from this distance. The central photo which, incidentally, was the largest, captured a beautiful moment of Tony hugging his mother tightly while she laughed. He looked grumpy but her face was full of sunshine as she held onto her son.

"That was taken a few weeks before they died."

Loki jumped, turning to meet Tony's gaze.

"I didn't know you were awake."

Tony didn't say anything. He got out of bed and padded across the room, picking up the central frame, before getting back into bed. When he was settled he passed it to Loki who took it gently, careful not to put any fingerprints on the glass. He didn't want to be responsible for tarnishing such a perfect moment. It was near impossible to believe that the beautiful face smiling brightly up at them would die so tragically not long after.

"Let's get some breakfast," Tony said a minute or so later, his voice an octave lower than normal.

Loki wanted to do something, to comfort him in some way but he had no idea what to say or do. Instead he agreed and followed Tony downstairs. On his descent down stairs he didn't find the house as wondrous as he had the previous day, perhaps because he now realised how much pain being here caused Tony that it didn't seem so perfect anymore.

Luckily throughout breakfast Tony brightened up and, by the time Loki was finished, he was talking animatedly about everything they could do for the day. There were so many suggestions that he found it difficult to keep up with every new idea thrown his way.

"I thought you wanted to see how Obadiah was?" Loki managed to cut in through Tony's continued ramblings.

"He's gone to work, we won't see him till dinner tonight and I refuse to sit around here all day waiting for him to get back. Now run go get ready," Tony insisted, ushering Loki out of his chair and to the door of the dining room.

"Aren't you coming?" Loki asked.

"I'll be there in a sec," he replied, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before darting off towards what Loki guessed was the kitchen.

Puzzled but thinking it best not to question, Loki headed upstairs alone. Tony, on the other hand, bounded into the kitchen, startling Marie where she stood by the sink. Her hand flew up to her chest where it rested on her beating heart.

"What is the matter?" She cried, clearly believing something significant had happened.

"What do you think?" He asked.

"Of what? Tony I'm so confused."

"Of Loki." He took a few more steps into the room and pulled himself up to sit on the kitchen island facing Marie. "I know I didn't tell you before about him and I'm sorry, there just wasn't a good time when I was here a few weeks ago. I didn't want you to find out how you did yesterday but..." he shrugged, leaving his sentence hanging.

Marie smiled kindly. She put down her dishcloth and moved over to lean on the island beside Tony.

"You don't need to explain yourself to me. I'm happy for you, I was just surprised yesterday that's all. I wasn't expecting you to suddenly announce you were sharing a room with this boy I'd never met before."

"Sorry," Tony mumbled, clearly believing he'd upset her in some way.

"Don't be silly," Marie laughed, shoving him playfully. "So tell me everything, how long have you been together?"

Tony smiled. "About three months that we've been a definite thing." At a curious look from Marie, he continued, "well there was some problems and miscommunication where we were sorta together but not really. Now, luckily, we have sorted it all out and are very much a thing."

"And people at school? Is everyone okay about it?"

"Mostly, I think. Our friends are completely fine and the rest, most are either cool about it or else they don't care. No one's been a dick about it...that I've heard anyway." He chose not to mention the incident with Pepper. Marie was well aware of his history with her – which was probably why she was so shocked when first discovering his and Loki's relationship – and he was honestly worried about how she would react seeing as she had always seemed to really like Pepper. He didn't want her to be hated, no matter what she had done.

"I assume," Marie said, disturbing Tony from his thoughts. "That you intend to tell Mr Stane later."

"Yeah," he nodded. "Do you think it's a good idea?"

Marie stood silent for a moment, thinking. "Well I've worked for him for a fair many years now and I've never picked up on him being particularly against it, the topic's never really been mentioned, to be honest." She saw Tony frown and rested a hand on his shoulder for comfort. "I'm sure it'll be fine, he loves you Tony, I don't think he would ever hate you over something like this. I don't think he could hate you no matter what you did."

At that, Tony managed a smile, still feeling the nerves prickling away inside of him at the thought of telling Obadiah. Though he had come here this weekend in order to check in on Obadiah to see how he was, he also had the ulterior motive of wanting to tell him about Loki. Besides Rhodey Obadiah was all he had as a parental figure. Tony trusted him with almost everything in his life, everything significant anyway, and this was definitely significant. He wanted Obadiah to know.

There was a noise outside the kitchen followed by a brief knock on the open door. Loki stood dressed and ready to go out in jeans that made his legs look so good that Tony was hit with the sudden urge to skip going out for the day and instead drag Loki back upstairs and shed him of all his clothes.

"You ready to go?" He asked.

"Yeah, just a sec," Tony said, snapping out of that dangerous line of thought.

Dashing past Loki, he hurtled upstairs to get changed into some fresh clothes and brush his hair enough to make it look reasonable. Loki was left to hover awkwardly in the kitchen doorway while Marie began to tidy away all the pots and pans. He was not forced to endure the pain too long thankfully as, a few minutes later, Tony reappeared, grasped his hand, and pulled him out of the house only sparing a second to call goodbye to Marie.

They spent their day in constant motion, Tony wanting to show Loki everything and Loki not having the heart to tell him to calm down. The only time they slowed was when they sat down to have lunch but, less than an hour and a half later, they were up and moving again. From shops to small parks, they walked everywhere and, by the time they arrived back at Obadiah's mansion, they were both equally exhausted and very hungry.

Their few purchases of the day were left haphazardly just inside Tony's bedroom and they both collapsed on his bed, releasing huge sighs of relief as they rested their feet. They hadn't been there long when they heard the sound of the front door opening and a male voice speaking.

"Obi's home," Tony whispered, unsure of why he was talking so quietly. It wasn't as though Obadiah could hear him. Maybe it was because of the sudden rush of anxiety as he remembered what he planned to tell him at dinner.

Footsteps could be heard climbing the stairs and then Marie appeared in the doorway.

"Dinner will be ready in about five minutes," she said, before heading off back down to the kitchen.

Steeling himself, Tony got up, followed closely by Loki, and made his way into the dining room where Obadiah was surely waiting. Sure enough, as they entered, there he sat at the end of the table, a glass of wine in one hand and the day's newspaper spread out in front of him.

"Tony," he greeted loudly, standing up and giving him a brief hug.

And so ensued a surprisingly pleasant dinner consisting of excellent food (courtesy of Marie), good conversation, and one light-hearted argument between Obadiah and Tony concerning overwork. It was only after they had finished an excellent dessert and a comfortable silence had fallen that Tony plucked up the courage to say the thing he had been so nervous about.

"Obi," he began hesitantly. Loki tensed beside him, obviously guessing what he was about to do. To reassure both Loki and himself, Tony took his hand under the table and entwined their finger, squeezing gently. Loki gave him a small smile and a nod of encouragement.

"Yes Tony?" Obadiah replied, frowning at his serious tone. "Is there something wrong?"

He fidgeted awkwardly in his chair, unable to meet his eye. "No, not really. I just, I need to tell you something."

"Is it about that sweet girlfriend of yours Pepper? I was thinking that perhaps something had happened seeing as you've brought your friend along instead," Obadiah said, gesturing towards Loki but not looking at him. "So what is it, you two had a fight? Broke up? Look I'm sure everything will work out, you were perfect together."

"No," Tony spoke defiantly. Obadiah fell silent, staring at him in surprise. "No Obi, that's not what I wanted to say. Yeah me and Pepper have broken up, we did months ago and, before you say it, no we're not getting back together. Actually I've been dating someone else."

"And who is the lucky girl then, do I get to know a name? See a picture of you two?"

"They're not a girl."

Slowly, Tony lifted the hand that was holding Loki's own and brought it up to rest on the table. Obadiah sat in shocked silence, staring at their hands. Then suddenly he burst into a fit of laughter. Tony and Loki shared a bewildered look before turning back to the still chortling Obadiah, clearly at a loss of what to do.

"Um, what's funny?" Tony tried but he was unsure whether his question was heard.

"Well Tony," Obadiah finally managed. "Thanks for that, I haven't laughed like that in months."

"It's not a joke. I'm serious. Me and Loki, we're together, we have been for months."

In return he received an incredulous look. "Yeah right, I've known you since you were a child, I think I would know if you were..." He nodded his head at Loki. "That way inclined."

Tony couldn't believe what was happening. He thought this would go well, he thought everything would have worked out fine. He'd supposed that perhaps a little explanation would be necessary but then he'd imagined everything would be fine and dinner would be the beginning of an exceptionally perfect evening. Apparently he was wrong. He knew maybe Obadiah wouldn't be as accepting straight away as Rhodey had been but he hadn't expected to be laughed at and mocked as though his feelings were some kind of joke.

After a few beats of silence Obadiah seemed to sober, finally allowing the idea to set in that Tony was very serious. "So you and him, it's really a thing."

"Yeah," Tony nodded. "Look I'm sorry for not telling you sooner but I wasn't really ready for anyone to know yet and when I came down a week or so ago it just wasn't the right time."

"I understand Tony," Obadiah said, though he still didn't look very impressed by the situation. "Well, as long as you're happy, then I suppose that's what counts. And, I suppose you never know what the future will hold."

"Are you inferring that perhaps this is just a phase or some trial and Tony will suddenly be strictly into women as soon as he graduates or something?" Loki said suddenly, surprising both Obadiah and Tony.

"Loki what-" Tony tried but he was interrupted.

"Like I understand that in the future Tony may want to date a girl again and that's totally okay but from what you just said about the future implies that he can only like men or women and you seem to be rooting for the latter. Has it ever occurred to you that he could like them both or-"

"I don't think I like your tone young man. This is my house and I expect people to talk to me with manners."

"Well I expect people to not laugh in others' faces when they are clearly trying to tell them something very important but you seem to have forgone that one."

Obadiah looked like he had been slapped. He glared at Loki and Loki glared right back. Tony sat beside him in confusion, having no idea how to stop this dispute. In the end, Tony managed to convince Loki to go upstairs and leave him to talk to Obadiah. He returned to his room almost an hour later to find a livid Loki pacing up and down beside his bed.

"I'm sorry," he said at once, as soon as Tony entered. "I didn't mean to snap at him but I was so angry, how could he treat you like that? It was so wrong."

"Look, it's fine. I was angry too, I just know better than to shout at him."

"Is everything sorted out now?"

"More or less," Tony replied, sitting down on his bed and letting out a deep sigh. "He's says he's okay with it, me dating a guy, I just don't think he likes the fact that it's you now."

"I've ruined this weekend haven't I?"

"No, no," Tony insisted, wrapping his arm around Loki's waist and pulling him closer. "I think I just chose the wrong moment is all. Don't worry, we can leave early tomorrow so you don't have to put up with him much longer."

Feeling the guilt gnawing away inside him, Loki stared sadly at the floor. No matter what Tony said to console him, he felt like a complete idiot. To his surprise he felt lips press against his cheek and then down to his jaw. He turned his head and their lips connected in a soft kiss.

So the weekend hadn't gone perfectly but in life rarely anything goes entirely to plan. Tony wasn't angry at Loki at all, he honestly thought he had a point about Obadiah and his reaction, but luckily they only had to stay in his house for a tense breakfast before they packed up and left. After that fiasco they were glad to be home and the incident was soon forgotten. There were now far bigger, more important things to think about. Like exams. Their results. Prom. University. The future.

* * *

><p><em>I hope you enjoyed and I apologise for Obadiah being so mean (this is setting up for the sequal just fyi). Just as a reminder, next chapter will be our last so I hope you're all ready for that and as normal, I am so sorry for the time it's taken to update, life is hard and so is writing. Anyway, I'm off to Austria for two weeks tomorrow so this is my parting gift to you. Thankyou for reading and if you have a moment please review?! :)<em>


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

"It will be the same."

"No it won't," Loki insisted.

"Okay so it won't be _exactly _the same but it's not like we're suddenly not going to be friends," Natasha replied.

"Yeah we're not that easy to get rid of," Clint chimed in, a wide grin on his face as he brought his arms up around Natasha's shoulders and pulled her closer. She responded in kind, resting her head on his shoulder, an unusual display of public affection from her. Loki rolled his eyes at them.

"Oh so you can make out with your boyfriend in the middle of lunch but I can't even be slightly affectionate with mine without it being weird," Natasha joked.

"It's because we make a much cuter couple than you two," Tony said, joining them on the grass outside the science block.

It was the last day of school. Their last day of high school. And none of them were quite ready to say goodbye. Exams were over so there wasn't really any need to come into school but they all felt obligated, for the last time, to get up early and drag themselves through those gates for one final time. For old times' sake. Seeing as they had no lessons they'd taken to hanging around their favourite teachers' classrooms, helping them tidy up ready for the summer or else just talking to them about the highlights of their classes that year.

Now, however, they had all gathered outside in the warm sun to share one final hour together before the final bell rang signalling the end of their high school experience. Loki had been ranting for some time about how terrible it was that school was over and how there was no way they would all keep in touch. Though the rest of the group were making jokes about his dramatics and reassuring him in carefree tones, they all felt the exact same way but just weren't brave enough to voice their concerns. Instead they remained silent. Their own anxieties ran free inside them. Not a hint of these feelings were shown on their faces where each had fixed a carefree smile.

"There's no way in hell you are cuter than this face," Clint said defiantly. "Hey, hey, Steve," he called over to the blonde.

"What?"

"Aren't I cuter than this idiot?" He asked, gesturing to Tony.

"One hundred percent. It's a daily struggle just to keep my hands off you," Steve deadpanned, turning back to Thor and carrying on his conversation while Tony huffed indignantly.

"He clearly isn't in his right mind," he muttered childishly.

"Don't worry darling, I still think you're adorable," Loki cooed.

"Don't patronise me. You have to say that, you're my boyfriend."

By this point most of the group were laughing at the childish display. It was nice not to feel responsibility or like they should be doing something. It was nice just to sit with friends and have a laugh without having the worry of school work and exams impeding on their fun.

"Are you actually going to miss it here at all?" Loki asked Tony. The bell had rung and their group had dispersed, each going their separate ways until they would reunite that evening. "It's just that you don't even seem slightly bothered."

"Yeah of course," Tony replied distantly. He continued to walk forward leaving Loki a few steps behind.

"Well that was convincing."

"Just because you can't fucking read my feelings like a book doesn't mean I'm not feeling anything. Maybe you're just not that good at figuring them out," Tony snapped at him. A second later he stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Loki who had frozen mid-step. His expression was a mixture of shock and hurt. Tony sighed and ran a hand across his face and through his hair. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Loki said coolly, brushing past him to get into the passenger seat of Tony's car.

Following, Tony got in on the driver's side and started to engine. He backed out of his parking space, careful to check for any other cars, and then he pulled out of the school car park and drove off in the direction of Loki's house.

Clearly still unhappy about his unnecessary outburst, Loki resolutely stared out of the window his head completely turned away from Tony. It was only when Tony parked up on Loki's drive and the man didn't get out straight away that he realised he was waiting for an explanation or else a more convincing apology.

"Seriously Loki, I am sorry about having a go at you earlier. It was unfair of me."

"So are you going to tell me what it was about or are we going to pretend it never happened and act as though everything is perfect later."

Sighing, Tony shifted round to face Loki taking the man's hand from where it rested on his knee. He absently played with his fingers for a while, entwining their fingers before pulling them apart, giving himself time to think about what he wanted to say.

"It's complicated," he began. Then he stopped, realising he sounded ridiculous. He wasn't going to get anywhere with a beginning like that. Taking another breath, he thought for a moment before continuing. "I am going to miss high school, really I am despite how unconvincing I sounded earlier. It was a great experience and I know not everyone gets to say that, for some people school is shit and remains shit until the day they leave. Well for me it was good and so that kinda gives me more hope that university will be even better. I think that makes sense. I'm just trying to be more positive about this whole thing. I know it's going to be hard especially as we won't see our friends very often but to me that's exciting, not scary. Okay?"

Loki nodded slowly, not making eye contact, or rather deliberately avoiding it as Tony guessed. "Okay," he said after a long pause that left Tony's nerves on edge. "I do understand that, I do. And in some ways I completely agree with you but...I guess...I just need to talk about it. I need to have time to be sad. You've been at this school for much longer than I have so it makes more sense for you to be ready to say goodbye, while I only came here at the beginning of the year and in some ways I suppose I still feel new. Now this comfort I've built throughout the year is being shattered and I'm finding it...I'm finding it a bit overwhelming and difficult to accept," he finished in a rush, staring down at their clasped hands.

Tony released a breath of relief. He was so worried that his statement would have escalated into an argument which would have been a terrible start to their prom night. Despite that scenario being avoided he was still unsure of what to say next. He understood Loki's point completely and even felt sorry for him because it was far harder for him to say goodbye.

"I don't know what else to say but I feel like I need to apologise again," he blurted out. Finally Loki met his gaze and smiled before he started to laugh uncontrollably. Tony hesitated, having no idea what was going on. "Eh, what's so funny?"

"You," Loki said breathlessly. "But not in a bad way," he hurriedly added after Tony frowned. "It's just that we are both so terrible in these situations, neither of us has any idea how to deal with emotions. We either bottle them up and explode later and it usually happens with me getting overemotional and you having absolutely no idea what to say or do. Come on Tony, it's kind of funny."

Tony still wasn't entirely sure he understood what 'funny' meant in this instance but he was pleased to see Loki laughing and smiling again. Without really thinking about it he leant forwards and captured Loki's lips in a kiss that started the other man enough to stop mid laugh causing him to hiccough as they broke apart.

"You're wonderful," he said softly, while Loki blushed from embarrassment.

"Stop being so sentimental," Loki groaned in protest.

"Says the one who cried over school finishing."

"Touché, now may I please be allowed to leave your car so that I can actually get ready for tonight?"

Tony sighed dramatically, pretending to contemplate the question. "Fine, if you must." Sending him one last smile Loki made to get out of the car. "Wait, aren't you forgetting something?"

Loki looked at the bag slung over his right shoulder, checking it was there before he glanced around him to see if he had forgotten anything. Feigning irritation at Loki's obliviousness, Tony coughed unnecessarily, drawing the man's attention back to himself, then he pointed at his lips saying, "One more for the road."

"You're insufferable," Loki muttered, shaking his head while leaning forward to grant Tony's request.

This time when he pulled away Tony let him go, waiting until Loki had closed his front door before reversing out his driveway and onto the road beyond.

* * *

><p>He stared at himself in the mirror, awkwardly shuffling from side to side, turning this way and that, trying with all his might to rectify any flaw he came across. His tie was next to come under scrutiny. Tying it once, he contemplated his reflection before loosening it and retying it again, each attempt accompanied by a frustrated huff that got louder with each retying. In the end he reached his limit. Throwing his arms up, he let out his loudest sigh yet and collapsed onto his bed, not bothering to fix his tie that now hung untidily around his neck.<p>

Everything was going wrong. First his suit was wrong and now his tie was wrong. In that moment his entire life was wrong. Groaning, Loki fell backwards against his bedsheets and buried his head into a pillow. He only lasted a few seconds in this position before remembering that he'd just sorted out his hair and burying it into a pillow really wasn't the way to keep it neat. Leaping up, he threw himself back in front of the mirror and hurried to flatten any hairs that had been dislodged. More sighs and groans followed as he attempted to fix his already perfect reflection.

To his surprise and dismay there was a knock on his door.

"What?" He called, hoping the person would hear in his tone that he really didn't want to be disturbed.

No one answered but the door opened. There stood Thor dressed pristinely in his own suit of rich royal blue. He stared at Loki for a few seconds who was still scowling at his reflection in the mirror before he moved to sit on the bed.

"Loki, sit down."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Everything is stupid and I don't want to go tonight."

Thor frowned. "And why does that prevent you from sitting down."

With an overly dramatic sigh, Loki plopped down on the bed beside his brother. "I'm sitting down. Are you happy now?"

"We could hear you groaning from down stairs, mother was getting concerned." Loki didn't reply, suddenly finding great interest in the back of his left hand. Thor watched Loki for a time, noting his unusually shy behaviour. He'd never known Loki to shy away from anything and yet now, here he was, fixedly avoiding Thor's gaze and doing his very best to pretend he wasn't in the room. "What's the matter?" No reply came. "I heard what you were saying earlier, about university and how everything will be different."

"Thor, I need to get rea-"

"Just listen," Thor interrupted and surprisingly Loki fell silent.

"I know everything over the past year hasn't been perfect." Loki scoffed but didn't say anything. "Things between us haven't been great and neither has your relationship with our father." Another derisive noise. "But," Thor carried on ignoring his brother. "I'm proud of you and I'm glad you came home."

Loki stared at him. "What?"

"Last summer when you came back from England, I knew you weren't happy and things with father were getting worse by the day. It was only a matter of time before the tension got too much. I know you think I'm stupid and I know you think I don't care or don't notice anything, but I do. I notice when you're happy and when you're sad and I can see how much happier you've become over the past few months now that everything is getting better. I'm proud to call you my brother."

"Even when I'm stubborn and awful and rude and-"

"Even then."

To Thor's utter surprise Loki hugged him. He responded after a moments' pause, wrapping his big arms around his brother's slimmer frame and pulling him close. It was such a rare moment of perfect peacefulness. That was until a bright flash caused them to spring apart blinking rapidly.

"Oh no, I forgot to turn the flash off," their mother cried from the doorway now staring daggers at the camera in her hands. "You weren't supposed to know I was there."

"Well that worked out really well for you."

"Yes thank you Loki. Are you both ready? I want to take some more pictures before you both leave."

Loki, seeming to remember all his anxieties about his appearance, sprang to his feet and started to smooth his hair again. Thor and Frigga watched him from the side with half exasperated half amused expressions on their faces. His frantic movements only ceased when the doorbell rang from downstairs. With a squeak Loki ran to his window swearing under his breath when he saw Tony silhouetted by the porch light. The situation only got worse when they heard Odin open the door and greet him.

"Mother, save him!" Loki cried, ushering Frigga from his room. "I'll be down in a minute."

Frigga didn't hesitate. She hurried off down the stairs and greeted Tony warmly with a hug and a comment that he looked very handsome.

"Can you help me with this please?" Loki pleaded, holding out his tie to Thor.

Thor took it and tied it neatly around his brother's neck, careful not to pull it too tight. When finished he stood back to examine his handy work.

"You look very nice Loki. I think you've kept Tony waiting long enough."

With a small smile, Loki finally left his room to join his boyfriend down stairs. As he descended their eyes met and twin grins blossomed on both of their faces. Neither of them spoke, they just stared at each other for a while, taking in the other's appearance and basking in the thought that they were going to prom. More importantly, they were going to prom together. As a couple. That thought still sent a thrill up Tony's spine. How did he manage to get so lucky?

Frigga once again ruined the perfect moment by insisting they pose for countless pictures before she finally allowed them peace. Thor had to leave to pick up Jane and so Tony and Loki were left to suffer her enthusiasm, smiling upon command for every flash of her camera.

As the clock ticked on and the sky began to darken, Frigga admitted defeat. Giving her son one last kiss and hugging Tony a little too tightly, she stuttered goodbyes with a tear in her eye and both she and Odin waved the pair off as Tony reversed down their drive and onto the road.

They'd agreed in their group of friends that they would each take separate means of transport to prom rather than all bundling together. Most of them were in relationships anyway and wanted their magical moment of entering hand in hand in hope that everyone else would turn and stare and think whoa. Tony and Loki, however, didn't care much for this moment. They just wanted a few precious moments together before saying a final goodbye to high school.

"Ready to put everyone to shame with how gorgeous we both look?" Tony smiled.

He had just pulled into one of the last parking spaces available. The engine was off and the only sound was the distant thump of music.

"If we have to," Loki said, feigning exasperation.

Taking Tony's hand in his, he kissed the centre of his palm before closing his fingers around it.

"What was that?" Tony murmured.

"A gift," Loki whispered back, leaning in to place a gentle kiss on his lips.

As they pulled apart Tony pressed his lips to Loki's cheek then moved further until he could whisper in his ear.

"Loki, I think I-"

But he was prevented from finishing by a heavy pounding on his windows. Turning round in alarm and rage he came face to face with Clint who was grinning at him from the other side of the glass. Muttering a series of swears under his breath, Tony swung the door open fast enough to send it crashing into his best friend.

Clint let out an indignant cry. "What was that for?"

"Sorry, didn't see you there."

"What? Tony that was a bit harsh. Have I done something wrong?"

Tony just ignored him, instead walking to the other side of the car and opening Loki's door before stepping back to allow him to get out. They shared a brief look as Loki brushed past him. After greeting Natasha, who was standing by the bonnet of Tony's car, they ambled inside to meet the rest of their friends.

Thor and Jane arrived after them but Steve and Darcy were waiting just inside, having been waiting for them to arrive. Though their brief relationship had fallen through they had agreed to still go together as friends. Pepper stood beside them, also without a partner. Out of all of them it was shy Bruce who had actually acquired a date for prom. Having been plucking up the courage for almost two years, he had finally asked Betty out to which she had thankfully said yes.

They all looked wonderful, all the men in pristine, well fitted suits and all the women in dresses of varying lengths and colours from periwinkle blue to honey yellow. Sharing complements and smiles, no negative words could be uttered. Everyone was just too happy.

It wasn't the time to think about the future. In that moment it was about friendship. Love. Nothing else mattered in that moment as long as they had each other and they had the best night they possibly could.

* * *

><p>The night was nearing its end and the music was slowing down, making way for romance to blossom between those who had partners. Betty had happily accepted Bruce's offer of a dance and Loki had willingly taken Tony's offered hand as well.<p>

As the lights dimmed around them, Tony's hands cupped Loki's neck while Loki's hands settled themselves on Tony's hips. They revolved slowly, keeping in time with the beat and easily dodging other couples that weren't quite so coordinated.

"I suppose I did lie a bit earlier," Tony said quietly, pulling Loki closer so that he didn't have to meet his eyes. Loki stiffened but didn't interrupt. "I know I said that I'm not scared for university. But that's not true, I am terrified."

"Why are you only saying this now?" Loki asked, mirroring Tony's quiet tone.

"Because I didn't realise it until tonight. What with prom, everything feels so final now while before it didn't. It's only just hit me that tomorrow, or next week or in a months' time we won't be coming back here. We'll all be apart and..."

"What?" Loki questioned, pulling back slightly so he could see Tony's face.

"And I won't get to see you."

For the briefest second their eyes met. Then the connection was broken. Unconsciously, they tightened their hold of the other.

"No, we won't get to see each other so often. It will be hard but we'll figure it out."

"I hope so."

Falling silent, they continued to hold each other close. Though they didn't know what the future held for them, they knew in that moment they were happy. And they were content to enjoy it as long as it lasted. Even as the lights dimmed to blackness and prom came to an end, nothing could spoil their happiness. They left hand in hand. Together with their friends. And unspoken words of love in their hearts.

* * *

><p><em>THE END.<em>

_Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou to everyone! To those that have favourited, followed, reviewed, and those that have just read. I am so so grateful that you have stuck with me over this past year and a half (or more). Life hasn't been easy and it still isn't but I promised this story would be finished and I fulfilled that goal and I am very proud of that. _

_I hope that you have enjoyed this final chapter and will join me again on another adventure (whenever that may be). I still have plans for the sequel so keep an eye out for it in the future, it will be called Free Fall. For now, though, I would like to say and final goodbye and a final thankyou to all you wonderful readers! Without you I would have given up a long time ago! Untill next time... _

_~ Haggledore :) xx_


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